Sharpen

On this Mother's day, what do moms fear the most? According to Josh McDowell, the number one fear of Christian parents is that they won't pass on their values to their children. Why is that so scary? What is our fear?

Ultimately sin is fun. And stupid. You have to be temporarily dull to fall for it.

In the last 30 years teen pregnancy has increased over 500%, teen suicide by 300%. Over 1000 girls will have an abortion today, while another 4000 kids will catch an STD.

Surely we can sharpen our kids to look for a life better than fighting STDs, sleeping with losers, and suicide. This is a war we can win.

In Deuteronomy 6:4-9 God gives us instructions that have been put on Jewish households for over 3500 years. They still work. The words "repeat them" mean "to sharpen." I like that, we can do this!

"Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4 (NLT)

Here it is again in the Simplified Cottonwood Version: Listen up Cottonwood! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. So love the Lord your God with all your center, all your unseen self, and all your body. Make His words the center of your life. Sharpen your kids on Scripture. Talk about how God's word works when eating meals, watching TV, and stuck in traffic on Paseo. Sharpen your kids both when you're tucking them in bed and chucking your teenager out of bed. Let your hands do God's work. Let Jesus shine through you face. Let your house, your very address be the address of the Living Word of God at work. (SCV)