This last Friday night I went to The Real Men of Impact Men’s Rally at Travis Avenue Baptist. It was one part of the Equip Conference. Steve Stroope, Pastor of Lakepointe Church and co-author of Tribal Church, spoke from Deuteronomy 6:1-9. He challenged men to be the spiritual leader of their families.
Two Ends of the Spectrum
When you think about leading your family spiritually, two thoughts may come to mind. On the one hand, you may believe you are leading your family spiritually by making sure they are in church on Sunday and Wednesday and by leading them in a prayer before your meal.
On the other hand, you may believe you are only leading your family spiritually if you are having a devotional every night with them. While we probably need to do more than just take our families to church and lead them in a prayer before a meal, we all may not have the time to sit down every night and walk our families through a text of Scripture. This does not mean we do not shoot for that, or seek to make it a priority in our schedule. Spending time in the Word and praying with your family is necessary and important. However, if we can’t do that one day, it doesn’t mean we have failed, and we should throw in the towel. It is possible to lead our families spiritually as we go through our everyday routine. The way we do this is by being intentional.
The Intentional Father of Deuteronomy 6
In the midst of giving the Lord’s commands to the people of Israel, Moses writes:
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 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.” (Dt 6:6–7)
These two verses tell us how we can be the spiritual leaders of our houses. Notice that Moses tells the men first that these commandments are to be on their heart. That means they themselves must know them. Once they know them, they are to teach them to their children diligently. Notice when Moses says they are to teach their children: When they sit in their house, when they walk by the way, when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning.
Here is the connection point: We all sit around our house at night, take our kids to school, put them to bed, and make breakfast for them in the morning. It is during those everyday activities that we are to speak with our children about God’s Word. In order to do that, it will take us being intentional, but working to find ways to connect God’s Word to our everyday lives is worth the effort.
Questions for Reflection
- How do you lead your family to have a greater understanding of God’s Word?
- What are some ways you connect God’s Word to your everyday activities?
- Do you know God’s Word well enough that you can connect its teachings to your daily routine?
Christianity Matters 
I think the third question likely identifies the problem most parents have with this concept. Biblical illiteracy prevents us from interpreting our daily lives in light of Scriptural principles. I would love to see an example of a random daily routine connected to God’s Word.
Dustin,
I agree with you. I think biblical illiteracy is the main reason we don’t connect our lives to Scripture more often. I know that is something I struggle with myself, and something I am working on. I will have to think on the second part of your comment. Maybe I or someone else could share how they connect the Scriptures to their daily life.
Blessings,
Casey