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Verse 13. Deuteronomy 6:6
“These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.”

I’ve been alarmed by a recent series of surveys showing the rapidity of spiritual decline in the Western world. Only 35 percent of American congregations now describe themselves as spiritually vital and alive. Southern Baptists say that if current trends continue in their denomination, their churches will be reduced in half by 2050. In England the Anglicans expect to decline by 90 percent by 2050. Other surveys have found the percentage of people claiming no religion has risen in every state in America, and the number of Americans who claim to be Christians is rapidly decreasing. Headlines warn of the “coming collapse of evangelical Christianity in America.”

The most alarming statistics involve teenagers and young adults. Masses of them are leaving the church after high school, and only a percentage of them return in a regular, sustained way.

I believe Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is the most vital parenting passage in the Bible. If followed, it has the power to reverse those statistics. This passage gives three golden rules for rearing children:

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. The single most powerful influence in a child’s life is his or her parents’ visible, passionate love for the Lord Jesus Christ (Deut. 6:4-5).

2. His Word must be on your heart.
We must love God’s Word and read it daily. It’s more important than newspapers, newscasts, sports, or hobbies. Our children should see us pouring over God’s Word every morning or evening (Deut. 6:6).

3. We must share with our children spontaneously and naturally any verses God gives us.
Speak about them when we sit at home, drive down the road, lie down at night, and get up in the morning. When the natural conversation of the home are sprinkled with God’s Word, it’s like constantly planting seeds in the fertile hearts of our youngsters (Deut. 6:7-9).






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