I mentioned last week that I would take a few days to talk about our kids...or more specifically, the calling God has given us to shepherd their hearts. Bryan is teaching a month long parenting class at church and it has caused me to, once again, exam what I am doing and why I am doing it. You can never go to too many parenting classes in my opinion!!!
He started last week with some foundational truths and one that really caused me to ponder was the following:
"I can't take my kids where I have not first gone myself."
How can I instill a passionate love for Christ in my kids when I, first, am not loving Him passionately? How can I encourage my kids to love God with all their heart, when I am clinging to idols in my own heart? How can I instruct them to do all things without complaining and arguing when my countenance and demeanor displays displeasure in what God is doing in my life?
The answer is pretty simple...I can't. And if I try to, I will be nothing more than a Pharisee...a white-washed tomb, a dirty cup, a viper.
Deuteronomy 6:7 is the beautiful verse that instructs parents to to teach God's truths to their kids ALL the time...but it is key that we not miss the 2 verses before it: "YOU (the parent) shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall BE ON YOUR HEART!" If God's Word is first not IN us, it will certainly not come out of us. For, "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks"(Matt. 12:34)
So, we are back to some self-examination. Are you "full" spiritually at the end of the day from feeding on God's Word or are you starving? Are you meditating on the truths you are reading/studying? ( A good way to measure your "meditation" is to ask yourself...Are the truths I am taking in overflowing into my speech with my kids and those around me? If not..you may not be meditating.) Are you memorizing Scripture?
A book that has been a great encouragement to me in pursuing these and other "disciplines" is "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life" by Donald Whitney...I would highly recommend it! I was also thinking it might be fun to memorize one verse a week together...I know, personally, that I can be memorizing more than I do! Let me know what you think!
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