Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NJKV
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 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.”
Did you know the Bible was used in America’s schools for over 300 years?
Did you know in 1844 a government-run school prohibited the Bible from being used in its school and became an issue at the U.S. Supreme Court in a decision that declared:
"Why may not the Bible, and especially the New Testament, be read and taught as Divine revelation in the school – its general principles expounded…its glorious principles of morality inculcated? ...Where can the purist principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament?" 5
The court ruled unanimously that the government-run school should teach Christianity and the Bible. Did you know, however, that in 1963 the U.S. Supreme Court banned Bible reading in public schools, reporting, "If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could be and ... had been psychotically harmful to the child." 6
So what can we practically do to help our children and youth? God said that He wants us to teach our children, diligently wherever we are. This means when you’re just spending quality time with your children. It means when you’re driving them to school. It means at the dinner table and right before you tuck them into bed. Where do you start? First, it begins by being an example. We all learn from good examples. Second, It can be as simple as talking about something that the Bible has said to you recently. Even if you're not a parent, I challenge you to do something to reach out to the next generation. You'll be glad you did, they'll be glad you did, and our nation will be glad you did.
Action steps
- Read - Re-read Deuteronomy 6:6-9.
- Think - Think about someone from your past that impacted your life in a positive way and how they did it. What actions did they take? How did they impact you specifically?
- Write - Journal things you could do to help this next generation walk in God' best plan for them individually and for this nation as a whole.
- Pray - Ask God to show you specifically who He wants you to reach out to and in what way.
- Take away - The next generation is our country's future. We can do our part to reclaim God's way.
“The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.”