Every Parent is a Teacher (Part 3 of 3)

Parents: never forget what God has done for you.  Use these experiences to teach your children how to follow Him.

February 23, 2021

"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy son's sons."

Deuteronomy 4:9

Part 3

Yesterday:  Lest You Forget…

“And keep thy soul diligently.”
Pay attention to what is going on in your “inner man.”  Guard your heart.

“Lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen.”
Do not forget God’s lessons and blessings in your life!

 

Today:  Do Not Forget, but Teach Them to Your Children

“And lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life.”
What God has done for you should not ever be forgotten all of your life!

“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:20-23).

Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).

“He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live” (Proverbs 4:4).

“Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Hebrews 2:1).

Parents do not forget God’s Word nor His works in your life.  God has a purpose for their use again.  Each thing God has done for you repurpose, reuse, recycle!  Apply these things to teach your child!

 

“But teach them thy sons and thy sons’ sons.”
The title of these devotions is “Every Parent is a Teacher.”  Regardless of what you think about being a teacher, you are one.  The parent who does not handle his/her God-appointed responsibilities with their child teaches their child plenty.  Your child gets to learn from you how to neglect responsibility, how to disobey God, and how to side-step the meaningful parent-child conversations in life.  And these are just a few of the “life lessons” lost.  Of course, these “lessons” are sad disappointments for a loving child.  Shouldn’t every child be able to expect his/her mom and dad to do for them what the Bible says is their loving duty toward their child?

To the believing parents and grandparents who love and honor their Lord, this should be a note of encouragement for you.  Yes, it is challenging, time-consuming, and requires great diligence for us to teach our children and grandchildren as God said we ought to do.  But the rewards for our obedience are great!  You could even say the returns on our investment of love, sweat, tears, and prayer is “eternal.”  For our young learners are “eternal souls living in mortal bodies.”

Grandparents, keep on teaching of God’s faithfulness…

“Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shown thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come” (Psalm 71:18).

Parents, keep on bringing God’s truth into your child’s life throughout the day, every day…

“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:  For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck” (Proverbs 1:8-9).

“The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth” (Isaiah 38:19).

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

Parents, it is our mission, our loving task, to teach our children God’s truth.  Each child must pick up that truth, embrace it, make it their own, and teach it to their children someday.

 

Quote:  Dad and Mom, let’s keep on parenting for the Lord’s glory, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).  Do not give up on your child, and do not quit giving them God’s truth.