Teach Your Children Diligently

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children….
Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Deuteronomy 6 is the Bible’s premier passage on parenting. It tells us we should: (1) Love the Lord our God with all our hearts; (2) Study His Word constantly; (3) Teach our children diligently when we sit at home, walk down the street, go to bed at night, and get up in the morning (verses:5-7).

Parenting can be synonymous with mentoring, and parents should provide their youngsters’ first experience with discipleship. Take Abraham Lathem of Pennsylvania, for example. He loved the Bible and could quote most of the New Testament. He taught his son, Lance, to get up every morning to memorize Scripture. Lance became a Chicago pastor who encouraged his teenagers to memorize the book of Romans. One of his students, Bert Long, did so—and later established a tremendous ministry as a missionary physician in Africa.

Our greatest obligation as parents is to share God’s Word naturally with our children every day. When we fill ourselves with Scripture, our children get the overflow, and the effects can be lifelong and eternally lasting.