Theo Home Edition

The release of Theo’s Home Edition (“God’s Truth,”) really excites me, because it truly displays Theo’s core mission: “Teaching Children God’s Word!”

I say this because the Home Edition not only comes with three entertaining biblical lessons (Abiding in Christ, Lamp Unto My Feet, What is the Church), but it also includes a special 12 page Parents Guide that will help dads and moms establish a daily family devotional time with their children.  In a nutshell it makes studying the core doctrines of the Christian faith fun and easy to learn!

Did you know that studying the Bible together as a family is not optional, or something to leave to the Sunday School teachers?  Our heavenly Father commands parents to personally teach their children the Scriptures.  Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says this: “And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons (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 up.” (NASB). 

The word in this passage for “teach diligently” means to impress upon, to engrave, pierce, or to sharpen a sword.  Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  It’s the same idea.  This kind of one-on-one teaching contact between a parent and child, is how a child is sharpened in his/her knowledge of God, and spiritual character.  

Such contact is deliberate, intentional.  It is daily.

We are to talk about God with our children when we rise up in the morning, when we go to bed at night, when we sit down in our homes, when we walk in the way.  In other words, we are to teach our children continuously, both inside and outside our homes.  This can happen in a daily family devotional time, when we walk together through our busy days––it can happen at a ballgame.  But teach we must!   

It’s never too soon (or late) to start.   

How we live before our children, without ever speaking a word, what activities we do and how much time we devote to them, will model what’s most important in life to our children––what they will “hide in their hearts” (Ps 119:11).  If we diligently teach our children the Scriptures, if we model godly lives before them, they will learn and treasure God’s Word in their hearts.  However, if we don’t do these things, then God will likely not be important to the child when he or she leaves home.  Other things will be.  

What excites me about Theo’s Home Edition is that I believe it will help parents connect with their children in a daily family devotional time, giving them tools that will aid in teaching their children about God, about the Christian life, and how children (and parents) ought to live in the light of His Word.