Image credit: abey / 123RF Stock Photo

As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10).

Our church is reading through the Bible in a year together.  What a blessing this is for my family!  We are reading it, all of it, even the parts where you tend to get stuck – like Leviticus and Numbers.  We are getting wonderful teaching on it from an amazing pastor.  And our little family, we are taking our own notes about what God is saying about Himself in each assignment (more about that soon).

We are just starting in Deuteronomy now.  And I have to say that the LORD has given me some teaching already in what we have read.  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers have blessed me a great deal.  And so, as always, I want to pass that on to my kiddos. This teaching is about holiness.  From Genesis through Deuteronomy we are seeing that holiness is about each of us being conformed to His image.  And this teaching goes, again, to our original purpose.

I want to show you how reading the Word can transform the way you think.  And here again, the LORD is just keeping His promises: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2, NLT).

And if your thinking is transformed, your teaching of your children should be transformed as well.  Isn’t this our greatest mission field, as parents?  The Great Commission is this: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).  This is what we think of as evangelism.

But, long before Jesus gave the Great Commission, Yahweh gave us the commission to “evangelism” at home.  And truly, both commissions are great and, in fact, both begin with us, the individual.

In Deuteronomy, He gave us the commission to tell our children who He is and who they are in Him,  twice.  This “telling” of His way to them is spelled out as living His way, with them.  It begins with the individual, the parent, acknowledging the LORD, and then sharing Him with the children:  Hear, O Israel: The LORD 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. 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 (Deut 6:4-9).

Then think of all the times that children are admonished in Proverbs to listen to their parents’ wisdom…this isn’t personal wisdom… this is instruction in the LORD.  My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.  Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck.  When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.  For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life (Proverbs 6:20-23).

And Paul reminds children to obey their parents twice.  And, at the same time, he reminds parents to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the LORD (Eph. 6:1-4).  Beyond instruction in word, He calls us to instruction by our examples: Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Col 3:12-16).

God’s first great commission was to parents.  He called us to teach our children about Him through His Word and by our lives.  This is Hearing and Doing again!  The purpose of this particular commission is twofold: (1) that our children would know Him so they could love and serve Him (2) that in teaching our children, we would come to know Him better so we can love and serve Him.  Knowing Him, loving Him and serving Him better enables all of us to participate in the Great Commission, as Jesus commanded.  How can any of us evangelize the world, if we have not tended to our first responsibility?  And, with His help, our children may come alongside us in this great work.

As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10).

The LORD calls us, as Living Stones, to personal holiness, so that we might be an accurate reflection of Him, one that proclaims His excellence to the world.  More on the importance of personal holiness next time!

Hugs,