As Great Commission Christians, our goal is to transform the world for Jesus Christ. However, we cannot transform the world unless we first transform our families. Over the next two days, I want to share with you some ideas about parenting that will help your family become more Great Commission focused.

There is a passage in Deuteronomy that shows us the heart of godly parenting. It is the nonnegotiable, essential, lowest common denominator of all parenting. It is Deuteronomy 6:5-7:

Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and will all your strength. These words that I am giving to you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

There are two important ideas I want us to understand in this command. They are the fundamental building blocks of being godly parents.

• Parents Are To Be Disciples
  Whose heart does Moses say these words are to reside in? Look at the text again. He says “your” heart, speaking to the parents. We, as parents, are the ones who are to love the LORD with all that is in us. Everything else proceeds from that premise. Transforming the world begins with transforming our families, but transforming our families begins with transforming ourselves. Put God first in your own life. It is the most basic, and most important, parenting skill.
• Parents Are To Make Disciples
  In a family, every moment is a teachable moment. Every decision is a commentary on the influence of faith. Like it or not, children mimic the actions of their parents. They watch your behavior more closely than they do your words. They learn with their minds what we say but they learn with their hearts what we show. Becoming a disciple-making parent means modeling a godly life in your actions, as well as in your words.

Are you following Moses’ instructions to love God with all that is in you and consistently talk to your children about the Lord? What example is your behavior setting for them?

Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie Floyd
Author of newly released book, Our Last Great Hope