Influence by Example

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

The value of family devotions is priceless, but a father must never make the mistake of substituting evening or morning devotions for a lifestyle of devotion. That is precisely Moses’ timeless advice to parents: “...you shall...talk of them (God’s ways) when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:7). Whether he comprehends it or not, a father is communicating something about his faith in God from the moment he awakes to the moment he rests for the night.

While children certainly do learn much about God through structured times of teaching, they often learn far more from the events that fill the majority of their time. A time in the woods is a great place for a father to communicate the greatness and wisdom of the Creator to his child. A disappointing day at school or a crushing error on the ballfield are practical springboards to let our children know God cares about their hurts, understands their heartaches, and will see them through any trouble. There are literally thousands of everyday opportunities for the father who is sensitive to the Holy Spirit to relate the principles of Scripture and the character of God to his children.

“Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.” Deuteronomy 4:9