'Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the door-posts of your house and on your gates.'
Deuteronomy 6.3, 4-9 New Living Translation
We want to talk about an area that is of supreme importance for the health of families and the future well-being of our nation.
The Christian faith needs to permeate our family life thoroughly. Children don't live in a vacuum, they will be influenced for good or ill, so we need to make sure it is for good. We need not just to pray for our children, but to work hard that they and we learn to relate our faith to every aspect of life. Too many Christian homes don't operate consistently as Christian - church, etc., is grafted onto a life or lifestyle that is not permeated by Christian thinking and practice. This is not surprising as we live in a secular and increasingly pagan culture, so every effort needs to be made by Christian parents to think through their beliefs and put them into healthy practice at home.
