Do you long to know the mind of God so that you may conform your life, your family to reflect His will? God has given you the means to glut your desire for Him. The Bible is the source where God reveals His ways and His will so that we might merge our lives and our homes with His design and desires and reap the benefit of the truth.

The single greatest provision God gave Israel to spiritually fortify the family was His revelation. This has not changed for us today. God's word is still the wellspring of truth that leads our homes into health and stability.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 forms the clearest and most forceful call to parents to disciple their children in the truth of Scripture. In order to comprehend how essential this text is, we have to understand a little bit of the background leading up to it.

The only hope for the eternal happiness of our children is in Jesus Christ. We must lead them to the Savior and the road to Him is paved by God's word. We cannot afford biblical illiteracy. The cost is simply too high. We must make it our ambition to know the Bible so that we may lead our loved one to God and in God.

If the spiritual vitality of the family is of such value to God, you can be sure the enemy will attempt to destroy your home. One of the chief ways he does that is by robbing your household of God's sanctifying truth. Whenever truth is blocked from flowing into and nourishing God's people, the impact is devastating, and few places has this been more visible than in the Christian home.

God used the vehicle of the family to bring His Son, our Savior, into this world and through Him the salvation of men, women & children for His eternal glory. This is how important the family is to God. He chose humble trusting parents (Mary & Joseph) to steward the great treasure of Jesus, and he has chosen us, not perfect families but redeemed families, to steward the eternal treasure of our children and through that stewardship to proclaim the gospel to the world.

God longs for us to wrap our arms around His plan for the family and own it, to walk in it. And my friends, in order for God's familial precepts to take root in our hearts, we must first understand how important the family is to Him.

Perhaps you find yourself in a place where the thought of discipling your kids doesn't come from possessing a clear biblical vision regarding this great calling. Perhaps the thought evokes, rather, feelings of inadequacy and weakness. Let God meet you there and unveil His surpassing wisdom and the grace needed to take a step in the right direction. That's what he did for me when I started meeting with my eldest son, Josh.

The Bible never speaks of the spiritual nurturing of children apart from parents. While there is a place for youth ministry in the life of a church, the primary focus for the discipleship of our children should be on nurturing the parent/child relationship. The task is great, but remember we have a great Savior who walks with us and the Spirit of the Lord who will enable and strengthen us for the task God has called us fulfill.

Have you been impacted by the world's view of the parent/child relationship? The culture wants you to believe that parents are simply incapable of relating to, let alone discipling their children. If you believe that or have been made to feel that way, you have been fed a lie.