Deuteronomy 6:6-7 “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, 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.”  Read what?  Read to whom?  Read when?  The Bible is what to read.  It is to be read personally and to your children and grandchildren. And, it is to be read all the time.  It is still okay in our world of technology to still read books.  One of the most important responsibilities of the spiritual leader is to follow this command given to us in Deuteronomy to teach God’s Word to our children.  A good father starts when they are young.  Don’t just read Sponge Bob or Thomas the Train Dora the Explorer.  Get The Beginner’s Bible, The Rhyme Bible or Little Talks with God and other children’s Bibles and read to them at meal time, family time and bed time.  This is a way of shaping their minds and hearts and building Scripture and a spiritual value system into their lives.

This challenge is for fathers and grandfathers particularly who have small children.  There is nothing more satisfying and bonding than to have your children and grandchildren crawl into your lap and ask you to read Bible stories.  Take time and make it a priority to put your children to bed at night.  It gives you a chance to connect and have the personal touch that is so often lost in our busy world.  Fathers, do not leave this only to your wife but you take the lead and fulfill your fatherly duty. Notice that this commandment was given to fathers. 

When your children are older, find teaching moments from real world experiences and relate Scripture to these times.  You do not always have to grab your Bible and say, “Look here, this is what it says.”  You should have hidden God’s Word in your heart and theirs so that the Word comes alive as life is lived.  You are not their preacher, but you are their teacher.  As they grow older, teach them to be in God’s Word by setting an example of your being in God’s Word.  Look at our Scripture:  “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”