Impressing The Hearts Of Our Children

John’s and my hearts were stirred at Family Camp this summer for the importance of family worship in our home. The past couple days I have been reading “Visionary Parenting: Capture a God-Sized Vision for Your Family” by Dr. Rob Rienow, who was the speaker at our camp.

According to scripture the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts” (Deut 6:5-6). In the next verse God tells us how to love Him by impressing the hearts of our children with a love for Him.

Rienow writes, “I believe that these five words, “Impress them on your children,” teach us that God’s primary plan of evangelism and discipleship is from parent to child. That is the order with which God created the world. His primary plan for spreading the good news of Jesus Christ is the family, beginning with the parent-child relationship” (p. 6).

Rienow sums up how God entrusted us with children so that we will do all we can to lead them to know and love Him. He gave us children so that we would help them get safely home to their Father in Heaven. He has given us the mission of training our children so that not only will they be saved, but they will have the opportunity to bring many others to Heaven with them (p.6-7).

When Rob spoke at camp, it resonated with us that another name for a discipleship small group is family. The family is the most authentic community you will ever be a part of.

So how do you begin to impress the hearts of your children? Deuteronomy 6:7b-9 lays it out for us, “Talk about them [these inspired words of God] when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

My plan for this week is to incorporate more spiritual discussion in our car time on the way to school. What is your game plan to start creating a new habit?

PRAYER REQUEST:

George Mc Govern Middle School gained two new student leaders last week.

Students at New Tech High planned and led a great outreach last week. Students were able to go into scripture and everyone followed along with the devotional and a physical Bible.

Two girls at Washington High School accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior last week. Washington High School began their first Collision Café yesterday.

There are 15 students gathered for prayer each week at Sioux Falls Christian High School. They are excited to see what God will do at their school.

We are running low on Bibles that we give out to students. Thank you for those who give resources to help us purchase more.

Edison Middle School leaders came well prepared for the Wednesday morning outreach last week. They came up with a new game that nobody had played before. They had a message about Saul, and how no matter what happens God will always love us. They even had the crowd get involved! Praise God for their leadership.

PRAISE:

Pray for students who have heard the gospel over and over, yet choose to do nothing about it or do not seem to care.

Pray for the placement of the volunteers and that the Lord would use them in mighty ways to empower students to share the love of Jesus Christ with their peers.

Pray for families to examine what receives the most time on their family calendar/daily life, and to impress God’s truth upon the hearts of their children.

Pray for children/students to desire to grow closer to their Savior and to really know Him by being in His word, praying, and worshipping Him.

#AngieGlasser