Deuteronomy 6 is the chapter that is at the heart of all Children’s Ministry. These family ministry passages concern how we, as a people of God, can continue following Him. God knew when He told Moses to give this passage to the people, that the next generation would be different than the last. The first generation out of Egypt remembered what life was like as a slave. With that knowledge, they asked to be brought back as slaves; they did not want to have the Promise Land because the people there were too big. God saw this generation and said, fine I will wait you out. When that generation died, God came to their kids and said now there is only Caleb and Joshua. Moses looks to this generation and says it is your turn. The same covenant I gave to your parents is now before you to be ratified, and the people are being told all the instructions. In Deuteronomy 5 you see the Ten Commandments stated again for the people to follow. Then you come to chapter 6. This passage begins with the dramatic, “Hear O Israel. . . ” If you are not paying attention, now is the time to give your full attention to the coming words. The Lord is one. Love the Lord you God with all you have to give; heart, mind, soul, and body.
As the messages of these commandments are agreed to by the people, God also provided a way for the people to pass on their beliefs. God told the people, if you demonstrate to your children at every point in their life the Love of God, you will succeed and you will keep the blessings. Failure to follow is a failure to keep the blessing and you will receive punishment just like your parents. We can now look back with perfect vision and read of the failures, but God has a remnant for each generation that kept His word and followed. They were blessed and continued what was started. As a whole, the people failed, then repented, then failed again.
In January the Children’s Sunday School sponsored a trip to Pizza Ranch. There were 50 from our church that attended. In our devotion, we discussed Deuteronomy 6. I talked to the group about many different ways we can observe this passage today: Family devotions at lunch, how to make up games using the Bible on a drive to church, etc. The time was short, but if this generation will listen and truly follow His statutes, the next generation will have a better chance. My question to you is, If you keep track of what you did this week with those a generation younger, would they be following the teachings of Jesus, or would they be getting another lesson? I pray each day that we will take the time to place Jesus and His life in front of ours. What would your kids or your grandkids say about your life?