Teach Them Diligently
In the day-to-day work of raising children, it sometimes seems like there is a lot of mindless repetition. We teach and train and remind, and some days we wonder if anyone is even listening.
I want to encourage you that, though it may not seem as if your children are learning from your training and instructions some days, don’t despair; they are.
Diligence is defined by Webster as “careful attention,” or “the opposite of negligence.” Diligence is not giving up. Not in the little years when it seems no one is listening. Not in the teen years when the waters get rough. Not even if you feel that you are getting a late start.
Notice also that diligence is the opposite of negligence. If we are not teaching our children diligently, we are negligent.
Ouch.
I was so blessed to have parents who experienced a dramatic conversion to Christianity in my early childhood, and once saved, devoted themselves wholeheartedly to serving God in their personal lives and in our family. One of the most memorable ways they trained me was in the scriptures.
As a homeschooling family, we began each day with Bible reading and memorization. Each month, we memorized a chapter from the Bible together. This began when I was eleven years old. As time went on, I began to choose extra portions to memorize on my own.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
I am almost fifty now, and to this day, those verses and chapters of the Bible still come to mind when I need them. Whether I am feeling overwhelmed, or searching for answers, or debating current issues, the Word of God is in my heart and is brought to mind in an instant.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)
There were times in my young adult years when I did not read my Bible, or even attend church faithfully, and still those scriptures never left me. They were hidden in my heart where the Holy Spirit used them.
In childhood, I didn’t fully appreciate what my parents were doing for me. Bible time was just one small (but consistent) part of our day. My parents may have wondered if they were accomplishing anything, but they didn’t give up. They truly lived Deuteronomy 6:6-9:
And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Teach them diligently. That’s our command. Not because there is a guaranteed outcome (because there isn’t). But because it is what God requires of parents.
How Do I Teach Diligently If I Don’t Know the Bible?
No matter what kind of upbringing you had, you can start teaching your own children diligently today. I talk to many mothers who were not taught to read the Bible, so they don’t know where to start with their own children. Now is the perfect time to learn alongside your children!
First, get to know the layout of the scriptures. The Bible is both a history book and a book of wisdom. Understand how the books are arranged, and memorize their order for easier use.
Next, learn the story of God’s word. There is an overarching narrative in the Bible, showing God’s plan for mankind. I like to introduce this with a simple Children’s Bible, such as The Children Story Bible by Catherine Vos or The 10 Minute Bible Journey by Master Books.
Finally, reading through the Bible itself is in order. Expository Parenting does an excellent job of showing parents why it is our duty to take our children, book-by-book, through the entire Bible. We cannot rely on youth group or children’s church to accomplish this. It is the biblical duty of parents to do so.
Get a good study Bible to help you accomplish this. We use the John MacArthur Study Bible (NKJV or ESV) in our house.
Your children may thank you while they are young for teaching them the scriptures, or they may thank you later. It’s even possible that they won’t thank you at all. But thanks is not the goal.
Plant the seeds. Water them faithfully. Pray for your children. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path. (Proverbs 3:5-6)