Deuteronomy 11:1-2
“You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always. 2 And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the LORD your God,
I know grandparents tried to tell Vicki and me how great it is to be a grandparent but it was not until we experienced it for ourselves that we understood what they were saying. Moses spoke to the “grandparents” who had experienced the discipline of the Lord because of their disobedience in the wilderness. God had disciplined them for their failure to exhibit the true sign of love for him, which is keeping his statutes. It would do no good to try to explain to the children what this means unless they experienced it for themselves. Unfortunately they did experience God’s discipline. Then they would understand that true love is shown in action, not just words.
Some people in America think they are Christians because their parents or grandparents were, and because they are in a “Christian Nation”. They have not had the experience their parents had, so there would need to be a sign that they are Christians. Jesus said you will know them by their fruit. The old song describes one of the fruits. They will know we are Christians by our love. This connects right back to Deuteronomy 6, loving the Lord and teaching our children to do the same. Unless they experience the Lord, the fruitless quest for fulfillment in their lives will continue.
O Heavenly Father, you are worthy of our love and we are worthy of your wrath. Thank you for loving us. Help us teach children your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.