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Teaching Our Children about God
by Martha Matthews
When I was a young child, my parents sent me to Sunday school every week. They did not attend church, read the Bible or pray, but they wanted me to have what my dad referred to as "a good, moral upbringing". Because of the lack of spiritual guidance in our home, eventually I didn't want anything to do with God. By the time I was an adult, all I wanted was to satisfy my own selfish desires. It was painfully obvious that attending Sunday school once a week had not inspired me to thirst for a relationship with God.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (NIV)
As the scripture above points out, it is our God-given responsibility as parents to teach our children about God. The question is how do we do that? If you have a spouse that is willing to be involved in the spiritual upbringing of your children, that is a blessing. But if you have an unbelieving spouse or are a single parent, take heart. You can still have a big impact on your children's hearts. Here are some actions you can take to get things started in the right direction.
1. Is God Important to You?
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (NIV)
It starts with us. If we love the LORD will all our heart, mind, soul and strength, He will be an active part of our daily life. He will be important to our children because He is important to us.
Our love for God will have a profound effect on their hearts. Do your children see your relationship with God in action every day? Do your children see you studying and applying the Bible to your life? Do they hear you praying daily? Do they see you helping the needy? Do they witness you trusting in God through difficult situations? Children will emulate what their parents model for them.
2. Make God an Active Part of Your Child's Life
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (NIV)
Talk about God
Do you talk with your children about God on a daily basis? God is as real to our children as we make Him. Tell your children how God is working in your life. Point out how He is working in their lives. Use everyday situations as teaching tools.
Memory Verses
Help them to learn memory verses. Choose a theme for the month and let them pick out scriptures that they want to commit to memory.
Prayer
Pray with them everyday. Be an example to them by letting them hear you pray. Teach them to pour their heart out to God. Teach them to be thankful in prayer. Teach them to praise God in prayer.
4. Use the Bible
Family Devotionals
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. (NASB)
Have weekly family devotionals. Choose a subject to discuss each week that is relevant to your family's needs. Remember, this is your opportunity to build a spiritual family. Make the most of this family worship time.
Plan your lesson in advance. Make it fun and inspiring. There is nothing worse than a devotional that is boring.
Daily Quiet Times
As your children get older they can begin to have their own daily Quiet Times with God. Teach them how to do this by sharing your Quiet Times with them. Read the Bible together and then discuss it. Tell them what you got out of it and let them share what they got out of it. Pray together.
5. Apply the Word of God to Their Hearts
Proverbs 6:23 For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life… (NIV)
When they are old enough, say seven or eight, you can share specific passages with them when they are struggling in a particular area of their character. By applying the Word of God to their hearts you help them to respect God's Word and to learn early in life that His Word has relevant meaning.
6. Love Them Unconditionally
Proverbs 19: 22a What a man desires is unfailing love…(NIV)
Everyone desires unfailing love. It's the kind of love that never gives up on someone. It is a love that is unconditional. That's what we look to God for and what our children look to us for.
Show your unconditional love for your children. Love them even though they don't always do or act the way they should. That doesn't mean you accept wrong behavior. It simply means that you show them your love even though they are not perfect. This is the best way to teach them about God; by imitating God's unfailing love.
These are just a few of the ways that you can help your children learn about God. Even if you haven't done any of theses things before, it is never too late to start.
What we do does matter. What we don't do, matters even more.
About the Author
Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-Homemaking.com, a web site with resources dedicated to Christian homemaking. In addition to her web site, she also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter. To subscribe send a blank email to wivesofexcellence-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Or visit our web site at http://www.christian-homemaking.com/newsletter.html
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