How much God is too much God? Do you go to church once a month or twice a week? Do you talk about God with family and friends and they wonder if you’re becoming a monk? In wider society, God, church, and Jesus rarely come up unless someone forces it. But what about inside your own home, with your parents, your spouse, your kids?
Don’t copy society. Don’t forget God. Make Him part of your coming and going. When you rise and when you sleep. When you eat and when you work. Keep Him front of mind.
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 ESV
One Lost Generation
How many generations does it take to forget the things of God? Just one. Parents who love God but never speak of Him at home can raise children who don’t know Him or what He’s done. One generation is all it takes.
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. Judges 2:10 ESV
Do you talk about God as a family at home? In the car? In the morning before everyone rushes out? Moses commanded us to teach our children diligently. Were you raised to be diligent about the things of God? Are the words of God on the walls of your house? Do you decorate with Scripture? On a scale from “Who is Jesus?” (0) to “People think you live in a church” (10), where does your home rank? Is Jesus central in your family life?
Here are some practical things we can do to make our homes and our families more intentional about the things of God that are natural and organic. It is my desire dear reader that Jesus and the things he values become a normal part of the life you live.
Go To Church
If Jesus matters, honor Him by being part of a local church. Not podcasts. Forget YouTube preachers. Christian music is not going to get you there. Church. Organize your life around it. Make Sundays about gathering with your church family. Build real relationships. Jesus values people. You strengthen each other’s faith when you’re together.
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. Romans 1:11-12 ESV
When you spend time with other people who love God you learn from them. They learn from you. Your life starts to become organized away from things the world values and you start to see the need in your own community. The best way to find God is to be in a place where he is working and Jesus is always surrounded by other people.
Read and Dwell
There is no substitute for reading the Bible and becoming familiar with it all the days of your life. In the command to the Israelites Moses writes that they need to teach the scripture diligently to their children. He writes that we talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Even more than that, bind them as a sign on your hand, and frontlets between your eyes. He continues: write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
How many of us have scripture on paintings and wall art that hang in our house? Don’t be shy about bringing the Bible into your home and keeping His words front and center. The description here of even having scripture as frontlets between our eyes is wild. Some orthodox Jews have a strap like a GoPro strapped to their head and on the strap is a box with scripture in it. For me it is sufficient to spend time intentionally memorizing verses.
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 ESV
I recommend that if you have never memorized a verse before maybe start with this one. King David stores up God’s words into his heart and mind so they might be remembered and be before him in a time of need. I was in college and memorizing many verses at the time. I picked one that sounded good: “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” That one is easy and short. I was in line that week for meals on campus and whatever they were serving was not what I wanted. I started to complain about it to myself and that verse sprang from my heart where it was being stored. Stop complaining and be grateful that you have a meal. If you want God leading the way, store up His words in your heart.
Dinner Together (One Meal!)
Busyness is a distraction from focusing on God. If you are so busy that you can’t be bothered to think about God, talk about God, or go to church with your own family then one needs to ask what kind of life you are living.
In the modern world this busyness does not even leave time for fellowship and breaking bread together. Inside your home turn off the phones, turn off the TV, turn off the internet for 30 minutes of time to sit and eat a meal with the people you love.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:46 ESV
In that moment of togetherness bring up spiritual topics. Make it normal to discuss hopes and dreams. When you go to church it is even easier to ask what did you think about the preaching on Sunday? Or discuss the others in the church who blessed you or have needs you can meet.
Ask God to bless each other and invite Him to the table. This is what organizing your life around the things of God looks like. This vision of family is what Moses was asking of the people of God in his day to embrace. The same holds true for Christians now.
