I typed into the search bar on Amazon “parenting books” and guess how many search results came up? Over 100,000. Of course, some of these results are just parenting-related products, not necessarily how-to books. But that is a staggering number of resources!
In the information age we don’t have a problem with the quantity of information, we have a problem with the quality of information. How do we know what parenting advice is wise? How do we know what is most important?
We need God’s Word to guide us. We need a foundation to build on. We need to know what God says is the most important thing we can do to raise up the next generation.
Deuteronomy 6 is a passage about parenting. In this chapter, Moses tells the Israelites what the most important thing is in life. And he pleads with them to model it to their kids.
Here it is: love God with all you got!
Jesus said that Deuteronomy 6:5 is the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (see Matt. 22:37). Why is it the greatest? Why is this the most important thing in life?
Its simple: you were made to love God. Your whole being (heart, soul, and strength) was created to live for God’s glory. This single aim should guide everything else you do.
This is the most important thing you can teach your kids. The next generation needs to see your love for God more than anything else. So let me ask you: Do your kids (or anyone else’s kids!) see that you love God? Do you show it each day? Does it come out in your prayers at dinner time? Does it saturate your decisions? Do you talk about it while driving, while reading, or at bed time? Does your love for God come through when breaking up a fight, comforting a child with a cold, or giving relationship advice to your teenager?
The most important thing for the next generation is that YOU love God. Your modeling of a love for the Lord will be a witness and an inspiration to your kids. There’s no perfect parenting strategy that you can buy on Amazon, and there are no guarantees when raising children. But a mentor of mine once told me, “The most important things in life are caught, not taught.” The next generation needs to catch what it looks like to wholeheartedly love God.
*Join us on Sunday, February 2, as we hear a message from Deuteronomy 6. We will explore more about how we can model a wholehearted love for God to the next generation.