A Nurturing Mother: Applying Scripture to Daily Life

In the first post, I noted that one of the requirements for a widow that was to be put on the list for the church to care for was that she would have brought up children, nurtured them. I am first exploring how a mother can nurture her children spiritually. Next, a mother can nurture her children spiritually by teaching them to apply the Word of God in their daily living. Deuteronomy 6:6-7, "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up.” 

    The first thing I see is that the Word should be “on your heart.” The Word of God must first be on our heart, our inner person.  The innermost place in us that only God Himself can discern is the place where His Word is abiding.  Col. 3:16, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” In order for us to apply His Word to our daily living, it must be within us.  It must be on our heart and on our mind.  This implies that we know His Word, and we have taken time to be in His Word reading, studying, and meditating on His Word. Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 12:34, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” So our hearts, as mothers, must be filled with Him and His Word, if we desire to then teach it to our children and help them to live it out on a daily basis.

    Next, in Deut. 6, it says that we are to teach the Scriptures to our children diligently.  It means to teach incisively or in a penetrating, clear, and direct manner. “The idea here is that just as words are cut into a stone tablet with a sharp object, so the Law should be impressed on the hearts of the children of every generation.”  I recently watched a video showing a man cutting letters into stone. The stone initially was flat and without any impressions on it. The stonecutter first started by outlining the letters he wanted to cut into the stone.  He then took a sharp tool in one hand, and a small mallet in the other. He would hit the back end of the cutting tool with the mallet sometimes with firm strokes, and other times he would gently tap.  He carefully positioned the sharp tool to precisely cut only the part of the stone he wished to remove.  When he appeared to by almost finished, he ran his fingers over the edges making sure they were smooth and then he carefully chiseled away any unwanted stone that remained. To me, this was a wonderful visual of how we are to chisel the Word of God on our children’s hearts. Our job as mothers is to carefully impact and influence our children with the Scriptures. We are to “cut” God’s Word on their hearts. 

    We will need to engage them in formal teaching of doctrinal truth. When they are little, this may come in the form of teaching them the bible stories, catechism, memorization, and drills (books of the Bible, 12 disciples, the Lord’s prayer). As they get older, this will expand to include helping them establish a time with the Lord on their own, teaching them how to study the Scriptures, and engaging them in theological discussions. A homeschool parent has a unique opportunity to make this a big priority in the schooling of their children. There will be times we will need to come alongside them and help them to flesh out the truth we know. We will need to give biblical, verbal instruction throughout the day, correcting behavior but also encouraging our children in the grace of Christ. Another way we diligently teach them is by the example of our lives. We should give verbal instruction in the Word of God, but our very lives ought to be a living example of our faith and trust in the Lord and His Word. We must not fail to impress God’s Word on the tablet of our children’s hearts.

    Next, we are to talk of His Word “when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” Notice, these are all connected by the word “and” and denotes that we should not just talk of His truth when the kids are being put to bed, although that is a wonderful time.  But let’s not just regulate God’s Word to a bedtime story.  We should teach and model the applicability and relevance of the Lord and His Word daily and throughout many diverse situations. God and His Word are never out of touch with reality. Throughout your day, as you care for your children, feeding them, teaching them, helping with homework, putting them to bed, settling arguments, making decisions, playing sports, caring for others, bring the Word of God to bear in the situation.  Let them hear how you deal biblically with various circumstances of life. 

    You will have ample opportunities throughout your child’s life to apply the Scripture to your and their daily living.  Seize the opportunity to spiritually nurture them day by day.