Building a Spiritual Fire
This is an old post from my Abiding Homeschool blog archives from December 29, 2017. The blog was shut down due to a malware issue a few years back. My husband recently asked me to reshare it here, as it came up in conversation recently, and it was one of his favorites. I hope it’s a blessing to you all as well.
This is an unconventional thought perhaps, but many days I view what I’m doing spiritually for my children as the building of a spiritual fire.
It’s winter around here, and quite often our outdoor activities involve building a fire. We love to gather heaping piles of wood from around our property and set it all ablaze!
BLAZING BRIGHTLY FOR THE LORD
One day I hope my precious children have hearts that are blazing with fire and passion for the Lord. I can not light the spark, I can not cause the flames to come, but I can heap up a pile of good fire wood. I can even build a shelter over the top of it to protect them from the elements of the world that would dampen, taint, and destroy what is being built. And then I can pray for God to ignite the fire.
So what is good fire wood? How do we build this fire? Here are some ideas that, by God’s grace, I implement in our home.
GOOD FIRE WOOD TO HEAP ONTO THEIR HEARTS
Scripture:
The Word of God is living and active, and it has the power to change hearts and lives. We need to get it into our children. Find fun ways to memorize together. Play songs set to Scripture. Read the Bible, listen to an audio Bible, enjoy the Bible with your children. Tell them what you are learning and why you are excited about that. Ask them if they have read anything interesting in the Bible lately, listen and encourage! Start a Bible reading plan together, post it up somewhere and check off each chapter as you complete it. Have your child “practice reading aloud” by reading a portion of the Scripture each day. Do these things throughout the day. Bible is not something we do once in the morning, and forget about until the next day. It should be laced in and interminlged throughout our days in the way that is described in Deuteronomy 6:6-9:
6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
This should be an integral part of almost every aspect of our lives because the Scriptures are able to change our children’s hearts and lead them to salvation! Think about what Paul said of Timothy’s childhood in 2 Timothy 3:15
and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
The Bible is a treasure! It has been our family tradition to buy each child their own copy of God’s Word once they are able to read proficiently. It’s something the children look forward to with anticipation.
There are many things we could make primary in our homeschools, but let’s never forget the Scripture should be most primary. This is really, really “good fire wood”!
Hymns and theologically rich worship music:
Play theologically rich music around the house while the kids are playing and while you are working together. Print out lyrics, and place them in page protectors inside of binders or if you are able to purchase a set of family hymnals, it’s a wonderful investment! The hymnals we use are called “Hymns of Grace” from Masters Seminary. They contain both old and some newer hymns in it. If you want more information or to purchase your own, here is the link to the Hymns of Grace site. I very highly recommend these!
Each reader in our family has one, and the non-readers just sing along. We try to learn a new hymn each month, so we sing it often over the course of the month adding with it familiar hymns. It’s a time of worship and lifting our voices to the Lord, but also it’s a time of getting those deep theological truths into the minds and hearts of the children.
A Children’s Catechism:
I am a strong believer in memorizing a simple to understand catechism. I know that some may say, let’s use our memorizing efforts on Scripture, but I suggest that we should use our efforts to memorize both, and here’s why, a children’s catechism puts the answers to life’s difficult theological questions right at their finger tips at a very young age without them having to sort through it all for themselves. Things like why we are made, how we are saved, what it means to repent, how should we pray, what do we do with the Law (the 10 commandments) and how does that apply to our lives today, and so on. Memorizing these simple questions and answers can be good firewood, but also it’s like building a good strong stone circle around the fire pit that will keep things in the right place. It will help protect them from the deceptions of false teachers and even their own misconceptions that can arise as they grow and study God’s Word for themselves. Even as an adult I have greatly benefited from memorizing the children’s catechism with my children. We use The Truth and Grace Memory Books by the way if you are looking for a good one.
A Biblical Local Church:
If it is at all possible, be involved as a family in a Biblical local church body. The whole family will be nourished, edified, admonished, corrected (if ever needed), taught, and overseen by Biblical elders. This is an integral part of God’s plan for families. Families that are isolated from a Biblical church suffer greatly. The teachings and influence of a Biblical local church body is irreplaceable firewood. It’s a means the Lord promises to use in our lives, but also it’s a non-negotiable command to not neglect the assembling of ourselves together. A Biblical church is worth praying for, searching for, and if need be even relocating to attend.
MORE FIRE WOOD
These are certainly not the only sources for “building that spiritual fire”, but in my opinion, they are the big four! Other ways we build our children up in the faith are: our personal example of devotion to the Lord, reading them good wholesome stories that point them to obedience and love for God, regular prayer times together praying for prayer requests and teaching them to pray as Scripture teaches, using our sin or their sin to teach what is right and to demonstrate Biblical repentance. There are also wonderful curriculum choices on the market which intermingle Scripture into almost every subject. Masterbooks is one of our favorites! Also choosing books that exalt Biblical character can be a huge help in cultivating Christ-like character in our children. We love Lamplighter books, Little Pilgrim’s Progress, and the Elsie Dinsmore series.
REDEEMING THE TIME
Plan regular times throughout your day to do these things, but also, use the minutes that seem useless for this purpose as well. If you’re sitting in the long Chick-Fil-A line at lunchtime, practice your current Scripture or ask them a few catechism questions. Have a child that can’t sleep? Turn on an audio Bible and have them lay in the dark and listen. Pray for the Lord to show you opportunities to disciple your children, and I believe He will answer!