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Why do you live differently than the world?
In "Doctrinal Discussion" Jason Lindahl writes:
“And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?” (Deut. 6:20). “And when thy son asketh thee”: The assumption is that your son will ask you. If your children do not notice that they are different from the rest of the world, then something is wrong. Jesus said of His disciples, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). If we are truly Jesus' disciples, our children will notice that we are different. The answer is not simply, “Because God said so.” That is the beginning of the answer, but notice: The children already know that. They know that these rules are what “the LORD our God hath commanded you.” But why did He command them? Why does He require these things of us? Why do we have to be different? They need to know, “Because God said so,” but that is not enough.
Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 62.
What must the next generation do to enjoy God's blessing?
In "God's Word for Today" Gordon Snider writes:
They must have a different inner motivation than their fathers had. They must have a heart to obey their God (6:1-3). They must never allow the knowledge of what pleases God to be forgotten (6:4-9). They must look for practical ways to ensure that their covenant with God was not violated (6:10-25). One of those practical ways of keeping the romance in their relationship with God was intentionally to pass their love for God on to their children (6:20-25). For no matter how much they determined to keep God in their hearts, if they did not communicate that same value to their children, their children would lose the benefits of the covenant. To be sure, that process begins in 6:7, but it is the total focus of 6:20-25. The strength and security of the country depended, as it still does, on the integrity of the home. Every parent/teacher knows the value of “teaching moments.” Moses urged parents to seize the moments to instill a love of the covenant in their children. A country is only as strong as the homes that form its foundation.
Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 59.
The Christian Home Is Founded On Right Choices
Read Deuteronomy 30:15-20
“In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it” (v. 16).
Making the right choice is the focus of today’s scripture reading. Verses 15, 16, 17, and 19 refer directly to the decision to be made. The other two relate the consequences of the pathways that we choose.
Remember Alice in Wonderland? She came to a fork in the road she was following. Unsure, she lifted her eyes upward and saw the Cheshire cat leering at her from his perch in the tree above. “Which way should I go?” blurted Alice. “That depends,” said the cat, fixing a strange smile on her. “On what?” Alice managed to reply. “On your destination. Where are you going?” queried the cat. “I don’t know,” stammered Alice. “Then,” said the cat, with a grin spreading wider, “it doesn’t matter.”
Alice’s dilemma seems to be the condition in too many families today. Unless a husband and wife decide where they are going and determine to take the road to that destination, their lives and those of their children will be aimless. All too often, people simply wander through life, sampling its pleasures and delights. For such people, it doesn’t matter which road they choose.
A Christian couple chooses to journey to the land that God has promised. The path that they follow does matter, for them and their children, time and eternity. (Steve Hight)
Right choices send us in the right direction.
This devotional is the Monday, May 1, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.
Brainstorming
Too often, questions asked in church are given single, “pat” answers, given with little thought. There is a story of a junior teacher describing a squirrel, asking his class what it was, and a boy saying it sounded like a squirrel, “But … I’ll say it’s Jesus!” Adult classes sometimes mirror this type of thinking.
Following are a couple ways to encourage your class to learn by brainstorming:
Using a whiteboard, and writing down answers in a list can help students think more deeply about issues. (One technique this writer was taught was to always add a new bullet point after being given an answer; doing so creates a mindset that there are more possible answers.)
Depending on the question and type of lesson, creating a mind map (writing down various concepts, scattered on the board, then drawing lines indicating the relationships between them) may also be an effective way of exploring an issue.
Safeguarding the Home
Lesson 10 - May 7, 2017
Focus Text: Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-25
Central Truth: The Christian home's greatest priority is instilling love for God.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify ways to develop a Christian heritage.
Lesson Outline:
- Keep God's Commandments (Deuteronomy 6:1-3)
- Instruct Your Children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
- Reinforce the Lesson (Deuteronomy 6:20-25)
Building a Happy Home
https://youtu.be/dfwgn-yHWOA