3 Ways To Intentionally Disciple Your Children

We are currently studying American History in our homeschool, and recently finished a unit on the Puritans (or Pilgrims). It was inspiring to learn about how their faith gave them the vision and courage to make that journey to America and then continue to persevere in the new world despite suffering many hardships.

During one of our lessons my nine-year-old piped up, “It’s like God was their life theme”. Yes, it was pretty much exactly like that.

For the Puritans, there really was no separation between the spiritual and the secular. They taught their children how to read for the express purpose of reading and understanding the Bible. Their schools included religious teaching in everything from the alphabet to arithmetic.

The intent was for children to know God’s Word forwards and backwards, keeping Him and His commands at the forefront of their minds. Puritan parents took seriously the passing down of their faith to the next generation.

As mothers, we need to intentionally pour the Word of God into our children and teach them to obey it. This, in a nutshell, is discipleship.

It’s much more than just taking your kids to church on Sunday. It means that, like the Puritans, you’re making the Bible an integral part of their daily lives.

Since the beginning of his life, you’ve been teaching your child how to do all sorts of different things. He’s depended on your instruction from everything to talking to eating with utensils, to using the potty. He has been trained by you, through certain discipline, to obey rules.

Likewise, he needs to be taught how to follow Jesus. Your children may decide to accept Christ as their Savior after you talk to them about salvation, but they still need to learn what the Christian life looks like.

They need to know what the Scriptures say in order to actually obey what Jesus has commanded.

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) doesn’t just apply to those on the foreign mission field or in full-time ministry. Us mamas can make disciples out of our kids. In fact, that’s one of the most important ways God’s Kingdom grows!

Mothers play a vital role in the discipleship of their children. They are uniquely positioned to walk beside their kids in a close, loving relationship.

You have been in both relationship and communication with your child in the home, so you are best fitted to take relevant verses and apply them to his or her particular situation. This cannot be done by a Sunday school teacher or youth pastor who only sees your child for an hour or two each week.

Here are some ways that you can intentionally disciple your kids, and encourage them in their Christian walk:

Read the Bible to them.

This one seems rather obvious, doesn’t it? The key isn’t just to read a whole bunch of Bible stories with your kids though; it’s to use the Scriptures to teach their hearts to obey God.

The best way to do that is to draw out an exhortation from the text in order to correct them in some area and lead them to repentance. This is how you teach as you “walk by the way” (Deut. 6:7).

If your children have been exhibiting laziness in their chores or school work, you could use a verse such as Proverbs 6:6 to show how being slothful affects our physical and spiritual life. Use the example of the diligent little ants that the Scripture describes to point out that nobody is telling them to make the bed or do their homework. Then, you take a moment to encourage your kids to confess this sin and ask for God’s forgiveness.

This is how you naturally, regularly integrate biblical teaching into your daily routines with your children. The Bible also becomes relevant to their everyday lives this way!

Read the rest over at The Musings of Mum where I’m joining up with other mom bloggers for 31 days of Motherhood Encouragement- Biblical Inspiration for Modern Day Moms.