Fleshing out the Word

In continuing to look at what Scripture teaches us as parents about the spiritual up-bringing of our children let's look once again at Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Be sure to check out the other posts in this series under the topic 1 Samuel.

In verse 7 of Deuteronomy 6, Scripture tells us that we are to be diligently teaching our children the ways of God. But, how? How do we teach our children God's Word, commands, precepts, and statutes? We are given the answer to this question right here in this verse: we are to talk of them when we sit our house. We are to be talking about God's Word with our children. Our homes should always be filled with the sweet melody of Scripture.

I have come to believe that there's a big difference in just reading God's Word together versus actually taking the time to sit down with my kids and talking about what God's Word means and how it can be applied to a particular situation. I think the difference comes when we are teaching them to "flesh out" what they are reading in the Word.

For instance~ a big verse at our house right now is Ephesians 4:29.

"Say only kind words; words that will encourage and not hurt.”
Ephesians 4:29

My two oldest kiddos don't always enjoy each other's company. Sometimes this leads to me putting on my referee's hat and helping them work through their little spat. If I just throw out to them, "Ephesians 4:29 says..." they just look at me like I'm crazy. So, instead of always quoting Scripture to them, I've started teaching them how to flesh out the Word. Here's how we fleshed out Ephesians 4:29.

They each had to sit down and write 5 reasons why they loved their sibling. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised at some of their answers.
"I love Hannah because she plays with me."
"I love Hannah because she helps me."
"I love Will because he makes me laugh."
"I love Will because he protects me."

Just writing these statements on a piece of paper was not enough though- we had to do something with them. I had them sit face-to-face and tell the other one what it was about them that they loved. They had to verbally speak these kind words so that the other one could hear them. At first they were a little hesitant, but by the end they were laughing and joking with each other and had gone well beyond the 5 things on their lists. They ended with a hug, a kiss, and an "I love you". It was a definitely a Kodak moment.

My point here is this- Deuteronomy 6:7b says we are to sit and talk about God's Word with our children; to diligently teach them what the Word says and how to flesh it out. It's not enough to just have God's Word in our homes. Lots of people have Bibles and I dare say that many of those Bibles are on a shelf or tucked away in a box collecting dust. It is our responsibility to sit down with them, talk about and help them understand the meaning behind God's Word and teach them how to flesh it out.

What verses are you and your kiddos learning to flesh out right now? I'd love to hear from you.