Training Our Children by Delighting in God – T.Tripp

Tying in well with the wonderful event of yesterday (See my previous post.), I read a fine little article in this month’s Tabletalk yesterday morning. It was the weekend article following the daily devotions for the week. Written by Dr.Tedd Tripp and titled “Delighting in God”, the article describes how Deuteronomy 6 calls us as parents to the task of teaching our children. And that calling relates not simply to the “what” of our teaching but also to the “how”. I.e., not only are we as parents called to teach our children the things of God but we must do so delighting in that God ourselves. It is a good reminder of the way in which we must teach the generation to come.

I will leave you with a few of his thoughts, but unfortunately I have not found this article online at the Ligonier site, so I cannot link you to the rest of it.

Deuteronomy 6 is a formative text for those who are serious about passing the blessings of God’s covenant from one generation to the next. This chapter calls us to frame the entire day with talking to our children about the ways of God. …Obviously, presenting God’s glory and goodness to our children is an essential part of our calling.

Something else catches one’s attention in this passage. Deuteronomy 6 is not just about truth spoken like a newscaster reading from a teleprompter. Our joy in God and persuasion of His worthiness is the foundation for teaching His ways to our children: ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your hearts and with all your soul and with all your might’ (vss.4-5).

If the wonders of God’s sovereign power, mercy, and grace have not melted your heart, shaping in you a profound love for Him, you will never impress His glory on your children. If God’s Word is not precious to you, it will not be important to your children. It all begins with being dazzled by God.

…All Christian parents say ‘Yes’ to the idea of showing God’s goodness to our children. Yet we are keenly aware of our failures to help them love Him as we ought to love Him. Where are you going to go with that sense of failure? Don’t go inside with guilt and self-condemnation. Go to God for the grace to love Him as you ought as well as to show His glories to your children.