To show them Jesus

  


"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, 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.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6: 5-9




On Thursdays I'll be linking into toshowthemjesus.com as we explore ways to share Christ with our little ones.  


I confess that I don't nearly have this figured out.  However, we have taken steps and made progress in teaching our son about Christ.


Currently there are a few things that we do:
When we rise:
As we eat breakfast I read The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name, by Sally Lloyd-Jones, to my 3 year old son.  Every story focuses on Christ.  My son loves this time together.  Recently I asked Him what Jesus did.  He replied, "Jesus rescues us." When I asked him what He rescues us from, he said "Us."  This book has helped instill the truth of the Gospel.  I pray that the Holy Spirit works in my son's heart for him to fully receive the grace of God offered in Christ.


When we sit:
I'm not sure if a three-year old actually sits for long.  Usually, sitting involves eating.  We pray at all meal times and are teaching him to do so as well.  We will also talk about our day, which sometimes leads into conversation about how God has blessed us in various ways.  This time also provides a good time to talk about what we've been reading in the mornings.


Also, as I jot down notes for my gratitude list, I often ask him what he is thankful for and tell him that all of our gifts come from God.


When we walk:
For us "walk" could be substituted with "hop, run, crawl, skip," or any other action word. :)  At my son's age we talk a lot about kindness and sharing and we do a lot of disciplining.  Both provide fertile ground to plant God's Word in his heart. 


As we talk about sharing, I remind him of all of the ways that we have been blessed by others sharing with us.  I also remind him that all of our toys are gifts from God and that we can bless others by sharing them or by giving them away.


I have not done this every time, but often when I discipline him, I share the Gospel with him. I explain that when we do wrong things, we have to be disciplined.  We talk about our means of discipline and I tell him that God also has to punish us when we do wrong.  I then tell him that Jesus came to take our punishment for us, because God loves us so much and forgives us every time we do wrong.  I find that my son listens best at this time.  Also, sharing the Gospel puts my heart in the right place and I am less angry at him for whatever it is that I am punishing him for.


In addition, we talk about God's creation.  It could be an awesome sunset, a beautiful day at the park, a picked flower (weed), the beach, or any of the ways that we enjoy being outside.  As I admire the beauty around me, I will talk about how awesome and beautiful it is and that our amazing God is the master artist and creator.


When we lie down:
Our bedtime routine always ends in prayer.  He is starting to pray regularly during this time. It's often cute the things that he prays and it's awesome to hear him have a conversation with God. 




What ways do you apply this verse in your house?  Would you join me  at Teach them Jesus Thursdays?