Planting the Word in our Children’s Hearts
Timothy was a powerful leader and helper to Paul. In 2 Timothy 1:5, the apostle Paul gives credit to Timothy’s mother and grandmother for teaching him a sincere faith (see my blog post entitled “A Sincere Faith”- you can search it on the Home page). But we also see something else they gave him in 2 Timothy 3:15 New American Standard Bible (italics mine):
You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
FROM CHILDHOOD, Timothy knew the sacred writings. A child cannot teach themselves (usually) but must be taught by their parents or other adults. Someone taught Timothy the scriptures and that is how he knew them. Timothy’s father was Greek, probably a non-believer, and his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois were both Jewish believers, so it was mostly likely his mother and grandmother who taught Timothy the scriptures from childhood. This is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children- teaching them the Bible when they are young.
There are many ways we can plant the seed of the Word in our children’s hearts:
- Read it to them
- Sing it to them and with them during the day (our children remembered this way the best!); try Steve Green “Hide ‘Em in Your Heart, Volume I” 1990
- Sing the Word to them as you put them to bed; I sang songs from the above album that my children are now singing to their children.
- Memorize it with them
- Talk about it with them
- Have them write it (when old enough)
- Have them draw it (if too young to write)
My husband especially likes the Deuteronomy way to teach our children the Word. He likes to teach our children Biblical principles as they encounter difficulties as they grow, and he will show them how the Bible applies to every situation they face. We read in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NASB:
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
If you’ll notice these Words of God are first IN OUR OWN HEART. Then we teach them to our children as we sit, as we walk, as we lie down, as we get up. Is your family always on the go? Ours was! According to this verse, the time to teach our children the bible is precisely AS WE GO, or as we live our lives. You’ll notice this verse also says that we teach them to our children DILIGENTLY, not perfectly but diligently. Dilgently H8150 means “to sharpen, whet, teach, to be pierced.” I had to look up “whet” and it means “to sharpen the blade of.” This makes sense. As we teach our children the Word of God, the Bible, if they know it well, they will be using a sharp blade against the enemy and they will yield their sword of the Word more effectively in their defense against him (Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12).
If you were to go into battle, you wouldn’t want a dull knife. It wouldn’t be very effective. If you go into battle, you want a very sharp knife. In the same manner, if we teach our children the Word of God diligently, they will have a sharp weapon against the enemy when they leave our house and go out into the world.
This verse also says that the result of teaching our children the Word diligently, is that they will be “adequate, equipped for every good work.” That word adequate means “complete”. We want to send our children out into the world complete, ready to stand firm and equipped for the good work that God has for them to do (Ephesians 2:10).
So moms, let’s teach our children the Word diligently, so that they will be
COMPLETE AND EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK GOD WANTS THEM TO DO..
In His Love,
Suzanne
Mom Morsels 