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“And thou shalt loveAnd thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children

 

 

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 — King James Version

 

In my youth, from around the time I was 7, 8 years old well into my teens at supper time every member of my family came to the table and sat down together. My father offered up a prayer to God. We ate, we were a family of five sitting around a dinner table in the 1960’s and early 1970’s in America. My mother cooked everything from scratch. When we had all eaten and were satisfied my father than offered up a closing prayer of thanks for all the Lord had provided. And he would have one of his Bibles nearby the dinner table, and he would open up the Bible and read from God’s Word.

There were no phone calls made. No texting. No running madly about. No screaming. No tantrums. No special meals made for picky eaters. We came together as a family. There was prayer. Two prayers. And Scripture reading. Then we asked if we could be excused from the table and did not get up and leave the table until my mother and father said we could be excused.

This did not stifle us. Did not injure our creativity. Did not cause a schism between my parents and us three children. This was not punishment. This was not legalism. This was being brought up in a Christian family. Period. It was how it was within a Christian family.

My father often recited Deuteronomy 6:5. Just out of the blue at times.

There was structure. A family structure. There was order and discipline and obedience. And none suffered or were the worse for it.

Quite the contrary.

Compare the above to what takes place today in America.

Got to go with the times? Go along? My children won’t like me if I prayed before and after a meal and read from the Bible, and there’s no way we’d ever all get around the table together!

Think about that.

Think deeply on what foundations and examples are set.

A foundation of sand, of loose gravel, or willy nilly haphazard do it however you want, whatever makes you feel good and there is no foundation on which to build any structure.

Look around.

Just look around.

Look at all the excuses, the influences of the Evil One and his legions of minions, ministers and ambassadors in the world that have created the erosion we now have.

If we TRULY loved the LORD our God and His Son, Jesus Christ with all our heart? All our soul? All our might? And that was our foundation, our way, our life?

Then the scene from the family round the dinner table in the 1960’s above would be the norm and not what we have as our dysfunctional, immoral, sinful, turned from God and His Word norm today.

Think and pray long and fervently on this.

What have we taught the children?

What have we wrought?

Give that some very serious, honest, deep and objective thought.

And not only around the dinner table. Teach the children diligently in the ways of the Lord and His Word in your house. When you’re out of the house walking by the way. When your day begins, when your day ends. Diligent, obedient, faithful instruction in the ways and Word of the Lord.

Because we are to love Him with all our heart, all our soul and all our might.

If we can.

Why can’t we?

I’ll do better at this if you will as well.

 

Ken Pullen

ACP

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018

 

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