Deuteronomy 6:1-3, 10-13

¹"Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, ²that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. ³Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”

¹⁰"And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, ¹¹and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, ¹² then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ¹³It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.”

Being a successful leader starts in the home. In the end, you were not a good leader in the workplace if you were not leading well in your home. Deuteronomy 6 gives some advice on how to go about this, especially in regards to our children. It clearly tells us that we need to be teaching our children – which is a no brainer – but it narrows down the subject matter a bit. It does NOT say, “Mike, whatever you do, make sure to teach your children how to play football. If you’ve got to skip church to make sure they know how to play the game, then do it.” Nor does it say “make sure your child is well rounded. You must take them to every ballet practice, academic event, and soccer game that you can, even if it means missing family time.”

Now, it’s not wrong to teach a kid sports, academics, and arts, but these things are not what God is talking about in the passage above. First and foremost, He wants you to put the most time, energy, and resources into teaching your kids His commandments.

You need to be diligent in this – teach them His commandments when you are at home or out running errands, when you lie down and when you rise up, in the morning, in the evening, during the day, when you’re sitting around the dinner table, at bedtime – anytime you have opportunity you need to be teaching them God’s Word.

In verse 9 (which is not included above), it says that “You shall write them [God’s Words] on the door post of your house and on your gate.” I think it’s cool when I walk into a house and see the Word of God painted all over the walls and door posts. It is even better when the children of the home have the Word of God saturated in their hearts because their parents see scripture as much more than decoration – they truly see it as words to live by and passionately ensure that God’s word is instilled in their children. Even at an early age, your kids should be using God’s Word as a filter for their thoughts and actions.

Verses 10-13 give a warning to the Israelites (and to us!) - beware that you do not only teach your children when times are tough. It is easy to call out to God when things are hard, but do not forget the Lord when the blessings are rolling in. This is what the Lord is trying to tell the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6.

The command to be faithful to teach their children was given to the Israelites before they reached the Promised Land, while they were still wandering in the desert. They were about to enter a fruitful land flowing with milk and honey. Their wells would already be dug; their houses would already be built; the vineyards would already be planted; the work would already be done – they just had to move in. The Lord was giving them this land, but it came with a warning – “take care lest you forget the Lord.” When times are good, be even more diligent and passionate to teach your children to honor and fear the Lord.

In summary, seize every divinely appointed opportunity to teach/model the Word of God. As you walk through life each day, make sure that instilling God’s Word into whoever is following you is your number one goal – above anything else! Consistently teach them through the good and bad times, and be faithful to keep God’s word as a priority in your home. And that will undoubtedly carry on into the workplace.