Passing on the Torch

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

Arise and shine, dear one! God is with you!

We recently bought a small tabletop fire pit to enjoy on our back deck. My 5-year-old son has found this to be the highlight of his evening, especially if smores are involved. As he watched the flames, he was reminded of his Sparks Song from Awanas:

We are “Sparks” for Jesus, “Sparks” to light the world,
We will shine for Jesus as we tell each boy and girl!
We will hide God’s Word in our hearts; We will serve Him right from the start;
From His love we never can part for we are “Sparks!”
“Sparks” to light the world.

In Deuteronomy, Moses is addressing the new generation that will be entering the Promised Land. He’s reminding them of God’s commandments and the importance of passing God’s teaching on to the next generation. Moses describes this process as something that naturally pours out of us in our day-to-day lives. If we have God’s Word written on our hearts, we can then draw from that well of Truth and speak it to our children. We are to live out God’s Truth in front of our family as an on-going daily process. It should be woven into the fabric of our lives.

You may or may not have children in your home right now to disciple, but we all have moments where we can impact the next generation. Will you show love and encouragement to the mom with the squirrely kids in line at the store? Will you volunteer to help in the children’s ministry when your pastor speaks about the needs at your church? Have you spent time in God’s Word yourself so you can more effectively disciple your children?

As you go about your day, dear one, look for those opportunities to share God’s Truth with the next generation, igniting a flame that lasts for years to come. You can be influential in passing on the torch of faith!