At a sweet fellowship of moms last week, the conversation quickly turned (imagine that!) to talking about mothering-my favorite topic. One of the moms made the point that she did not want to bring up the Bible and use it just when her child did something wrong. Good point!! We don't want to use the Bible as a club. We don't want to use it as a weapon in our arsenal of discipline. She was exactly right. It is so much more. The Bible is so much more. It is an instruction book, an external guide for living, an love letter from the heart of God to His beloved, a warning, a standard of holiness, a divine revelation, a mirror, a stronghold, a refuge, a hiding place. It is so much more than we can ever comprehend. My mom friend gave us a good word, one that we as moms need to be reminded of often. The Bible is God's Holy Word to us and we need to be His living epistle. Our children should see the message of this Book being fleshed out in us on a daily basis. Our Christian testimony should be expressed through our words and our deeds. The Bible is not just something we pull out to show our children when they do wrong. It should be our life and our breath. It should be our constant resource "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (II Tim. 3:16-17). It is not just for when we do wrong, it is for whatever we do. Consequently, as moms we must study to show ourselves approved of God so that we do not have to be ashamed by our inability to accurately handle the Word of God. Whatever we do, we are to do it heartily as for the Lord rather than men (Col. 3:23). Especially when it comes to being a godly wife and mother.
So the Bible is not to be pulled out just when our children disobey us and used as a club. It is to be our daily lifestyle. It is our hope for personal holiness and practical righteousness. That is what our children need to see in us. Then we can say to them, "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." (See I Cor. 11:1). Paul was saying, "Watch my life. See my lifestyle. Imitate it. I am walking after Christ. Come and walk with me and I will show you the way." That is what we want to be to our children.
This lifestyle is so much more than pretending to be spiritual or cheap imitation. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory.
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