Torch, Winter 1985

show, but the picture is important . These verses were to be such a part of the lives of Jewish people that they literally wore them on their bodies at times . Bible memorization makes it possible for my family to carry the Scriptures with them. The only formal part of our family devotional time - Bible memory - prepares us for the many important times of informal teaching . How can we then put these insights on family devotions to work in the family? Although it sounds pretty complicated , it is actually very simple. And I believe that it can produce joy and freedom in homes struggling with this responsibility. " ... our greatest goal is to get the Word into our children." Our devotions involve two phases: memorizing the Word and talking about the Word informally . The first step can take place at any time when the family is together. There is a beauty here because the whole family is involved . Oh , there are some variations when individuals have the opportunity to shine ; mostly, however, it is a group project. And it does not have to consume a lot of time . Our memorization takes no more than a few minutes. We pick a passage that deals with truth about God, responsibility, trust, fear, commands, principles. (Some samples are given at the end of this article .) The same passage is then repeated, usually once , sometimes more. We work on this together every evening before we eat. We enjoy memorizing a whole passage rather than individual verses because we want to grasp the whole thought of the text rather than scattered fragments from many places. We do not hurry through the verses , but work at a comfortable pace, recognizing that those who are behind are still picking up choice material. And the whole family is hearing the verses, whether or not they have memorized them as yet. Sometimes we talk about the passage then . Many times we do not. Our goal is to set the stage for the moments when our children are teachable, the informal times mentioned before . As parents we must pray for alertness to recognize these times and then trust God to help us apply His Word to everyday situations . Recently one of my children was humiliated in a crowd of acquaintances. That evening as we were talking, I rehearsed the verses that we had been memorizing that month. Among them were these words from Psalm 37: "Fret not thyself because of evil doers . Trust in the Lord and do good . Commit thy way unto the Lord ." I explained that in these verses God wants us to place our confidence in Him and always do what is right. When we understand that God loves and cares for us, we are better able to treats other the right way , even if they hurt us. God makes opportunities for His truth to meet the needs of life ' s situations . My responsibility as a parent is to teach the Word and not waste those precious times when our children are open to teaching. Family devotions . I am convinced that to nearly 90% of the Christian families in American this term suggests failure . Let me encourage those people who are struggling faithfully to teach their children . I suggest that formal times need not be so formal , that children learn best informally when they are ready , and that those teachable moments must be captured . I'm suggesting that as parents we must memorize the Word as a part of our own learning process . And we need to be willing to memorize with our children. God promises that His Word brings cleansing (Psa. 119:9), joy (Jn . 15:10- 11), wisdom (Psa. 119:98-99), peace (Phil. 4:8-9) , freedom (Jn. 8:32), and growth (Jn . 17:17) . Finally , every family does not have to do what we do . But no matter what the method , biblical teaching demands strong family relationships. The high priority God places on talking in Deuteronomy 6 underscores the need to develop such relationships . Parents , we must take time with the family for this type of training, even though many things compete for that time . We must tum off the TV , put down the tools , books , or kitchen utensils and talk. It takes time to teach God ' s principles but it is time well spent. We must be alert. Why did the child say that? What did that action reveal? How can the Scripture we are memorizing be related to the situation? Remember , we must get our children into the Word , but our greatest goal is to get the Word into our children . "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs , singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col. 3: 16). Suggested scriptures for family memorization: Psalm 23 - God provides I Corinthians 13 - What is love? Isaiah 53 - Christ' s redemption Psalm 34 - When I am in trouble Psalm 19- God ' s revelation , my response The Book of James - Principles for living Psalm 121 - A God to trust Byron Shearer is a 1968 graduate of Cedarville College. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Grace Theological Seminary and is presently assistant to the pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville , Ohio. The Shearers reside in Cedar– ville and have three children. 11