Guest Post by Cheryl Ludwig
Proverbs 24:3-4: By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;
And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
We all long to know the deep treasures and riches found in God’s Word so that we can share these beautiful jewels with our children. We desire to see their hearts and minds filled with wisdom so that as they mature they know how to filter every day through the lens of God’s Word. This will give our children pure and right thinking in the face of the inevitable false teaching that can twist and blow their lives around if not challenged.
Moms have the wonderful privilege of teaching God’s Word to their children. The treasures of God found in His Word are deep and powerful to sustain our lives in Him. Knowing God in His own revelation is like owning the most beautiful and polished jewel on this earth. It is indeed life to us and to all with whom we share it. As we impart God’s teachings and principles to our children, there are some things we must do that require both preparation and response.
- Teach your children to submit their minds to God so they can accept God’s wisdom and His principles.
I remember a time when my thoughts were obsessed with finding a set of china that had belonged to my mother. It became lost in the shuffle of moving into a new home, and I simply could not find the right box. The more I looked for it among the stacks and stacks in our basement storage room, the more futile all the searching seemed to become. In fact, I began to think that we had not moved this box, but left it at our previous home. After a few weary days of this, I finally began to pray, to ask God what to do next.
As I was praying, the Holy Spirit suddenly impressed upon me that He had His own reasons why I could not find this china. He wanted my mind to grasp that He was all I truly needed, and that I needed to be perfectly satisfied with Him even if I never found this set of china. I needed to submit my will to His so He could show me wonderful things about Himself. I told the Lord that it was alright, really alright, if He never let me find that china. I prayed with new humility, telling Him that His love for me was enough and meant more to me than any tangible, earthly thing. I submitted the china to God, and then I just stopped looking for it.
A few weeks later, as I ventured again into the storage room, amidst all the moving boxes, I prayed to God that if it was His will, He would direct my eyes and hands to the right box, to the box with the “lost” set of china. At that time He did indeed show me exactly where to look and I found this inherited treasure. God’s Word is also this way: When we submit our minds and our wills to Him, He graciously shows us His beautiful and wise treasures. He knows precisely when we are ready to accept His Word. In like manner, we must teach our children to submit their thoughts and wills to God to that He will open the precious treasure–the fine china–of His Word to their young and growing minds.
- Create a hunger and a thirst for God and His Word in your children.
Share God with your children throughout the day. Give thanks to God together, and both the small and large blessings He has provided. Read His Word and memorize it together as a team. Point out everything about God’s marvelous creation and how it works, with all of its intricacies, so they will know what an awesome God He is Who created them. Make your children hungry and thirsty for God so they have a deep desire to eat and drink from His table, and not the counter of junk food provided by the world.
- Partake of God and His Word daily.
We would never intentionally deprive our children of their normal, daily meals, and neither should we let them starve spiritually by not serving God’s Word to them. Create a steady diet of God’s Word to share with your child daily. Younger toddlers can benefit greatly from a children’s Bible-story book, and from other simple Christian books which communicate Biblical truths. As they grow, use role-playing sessions, children’s devotional books, and quality Christian videos which accurately teach and apply the Bible. Older children can begin to ready through the whole Bible, and also learn to love wonderful books about Christianity and living for God. It is our role to make sure our children are partaking daily of God’s Word and that we are leading them and sharing the process with them.
- Consult God.
Ask God to show you what areas of your children’s lives need attention now, and what should be addressed in the future. I have never seen these kinds of prayers left unanswered by God. Listen and discern what the Spirit is telling you, then find Scripture passages and examples that address the attitudes and mindsets that correcting. At the same time, remember to always encourage the Godly attitudes they already possess, and the spiritual growth you see in them, especially as He reveals this growth in your prayer time with Him.
- Model the Word.
Often God will bring to my memory a striking example in my life, or in my children’s lives, of the very principle have just learned. He is showing me that I need this teaching just as much as my children, or possibly even more than they do! When I respond to the situation, I can share it with my children. Even in those times when I fail, I can still share those failures and know that my children will learn just as much from those as from my successes.
- Pray at all times.
Pray extravagantly and passionately for your children and with them. Ask big and ask with strength, but always ask God for the desires He has for us as moms, for our children and for our whole families. Teach your children to pray that they might grow to be like Christ, and—through the Word and the Spirit–to have the same love, compassion, discernment and faithfulness that He Himself displays in their lives.
Psalm 119:162 I rejoice at Your word, As one who finds great spoil.
Breathe in the deep treasures of God’s Word with your children. Love it and live it daily with them. You will soon see your “rooms” and your children’s “rooms” filled up with God’s wisdom and knowledge, and all his precious and pleasant riches.
My name is Cheryl Ludwig. I have been married to my soul-mate and ministry partner, Rick, for almost twenty-five years. We are blessed to be the parents of two godly young teenage boys, Richard and Nicholas. We are also a homeschooling family, which is a privilege and a blessing. My passion is to see women grow into the image of Christ and to become the women of God he desires them to be. I love to study God’s Word and share it with other women, especially as I lead our church’s Devoted Hearts Mentoring Program, our Moments for Mothers Bible study, and as I serve as the leader of our women’s ministry program. Music is also a huge part of who God made me to be. I am a violinist, and I teach private string lessons to young children and teens from my home studio. It is a blessing to share this gift with so many young musicians. Every day is an exciting journey as I traverse the path my Lord and Savior gives me.
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