Just Talk?

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy6:6-7NIV

Our biggest, best, and most important mission field is our family. Not the world, or the nation, or even the community, all of which are important, but not as significant as our children. The biggest influence on any child is their mum and dad, especially in their younger formative years, so what are we doing about it?

I don’t know about your church fellowship, but I was used to missionary meetings which always featured brave men and women who left home and family to take the gospel to the poor tribes in the third world. What amazing stories they told, but every convert was a tough challenge, and certainly not easy. Going into a culture which is contrary to the Christian Gospel, and going against the grain for every convert is not easy and every one should be commended.

We are not all called to be missionaries, preachers, or teachers, but every parent has the ability to tell their children about the love of God, and better still, they can show that love first hand. The impact is clear and unmistakeable, and our verse shows the importance. But why do it at all? Taking the following verses in context shows God’s heart and intention for using the family unit as the mission field that most adults can identify with, and He gives us good reason to talk so that we don’t forget the Lord. Just talk with your family, and walk the talk!

When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you – a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Deuteronomy6:10-12NIV