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9/10/10

Seven Ways to have Heaven on Earth


Deuteronomy 11:21 "That your days may be multiplied, 
and the days of your children, 
in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, 
as the days of heaven upon the earth."

You would love to have Heaven on earth, right? I think every parent longs for that. Some days seem to come from the other place. Do you deal with screaming, fighting kids? Do you get stressed out until you think you will snap? Then you probably need to know the seven secrets of this passage.

Key 1: Memorize.
Moses, in his last sermon, said, "lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul" (Deuteronomy 11:18). Dad, we cannot just read the Bible to our kids, we must memorize it. I heard a Bible teacher say once that you will not effectively study a passage until you memorize it. I know that some of my deepest insights and understandings of Scripture have come through passages I committed to memory.
Set a goal to memorize one good verse or set of verses every week. My kids and I learn a new verse everyday. If a child does this only from age 10 to 18, he will know over 2,000 verses. Pick out a good verse from Proverbs, James, the Sermon on the Mount, and other practical passages. Commit Bible prayers to memory. Learn passages on doctrine, worship, character, and evangelism. Kids who memorize also do better in school.
Teach them by singing the verses (make up a song if necessary). Put each word on a 3x5 card and have the kids assemble them correctly. Write it out on a whiteboard and erase one word each time they say it (you need to repeat a verse one time for every word in it). Review the verses often. We often start our day with verse popcorn--each child has to pop out with a verse we already memorized.

Key 2: Teach.
The prophet said, "ye shall teach them your children" (11:19). Many Christians never talk to their kids about the Bible. Sure, they tell them to be nice and be quiet, but they might never teach them from God's Word. Teach them doctrine. Show them the Bible principles on modesty, tithing, and diligence. Make up stories to illustrate biblical concepts. Teach through Jesus' parables. Read through Proverbs, verse by verse together. Role play and talk about what these things mean in your family's daily life.

Key 3: Sit down.
As a God-fearing leader you should be "speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house" (11:19). What do you talk about at the dinner table? Politics, issues at work, and arguments populate many tables. Most people have stopped eating together anyway; they just sit around on the couch and eat while they watch TV.
Shut off the phones and other electronics, sit down for a meal, and talk with your family. Discuss life in view of Bible passages.
Listen to your family conversations for a few days. How much of God comes to the top? Look for where you can improve the discussions. When you teach a Bible principle to your children in the morning, quiz them at the evening meal about what they learned or how they applied the Scripture to their day.

Key 4: Talk on the go.
Have scriptural discussions "when thou walkest by the way" (11:19). Depending on where you live, you may walk many places with your family. Most of us drive everywhere. What goes on in your minivan as you shuttle your family down the road? Radios, mp3 players, and phone conversations can dominate or segregate a family. Shut it all off. Sing some songs together. Review your memorized scriptures. Or tell a Rusty story while you drive. Make every moment with your family meaningful.

Key 5: Evening devotions.
Talk to you family about God "when thou liest down" (11:19). At least review the day's scripture and pray with your child. Talk about the day for a minute and think of things to thank God for. Discuss things that went wrong and what we could do better so God will be glorified in our lives. Some may use this time to do Devotions with Dad.

Key 6: Morning devotions.
Discuss the Word "when thou risest up" (11:19). Getting your kids started with God gets them off on the right foot. Meet together for prayer. At times in my schedule I would leave early in the morning. I got the kids up anyway, and we at least prayed together. Start out with reviewing Scripture, reading together, and planning your day in God's way. You may do the bulk of your devotion time at morning or at night, depending on your current demands. However you do it, make sure both times are God-times.

Key 7: Good graffiti.
You should "write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates" (11:20). Plaster your fridge with verses. Frame scripture and hang it on your wall. Put up poignant verses in the children's rooms. Place scripture verses on your screen saver. Tuck a memory verse card in the corner of the bathroom mirror. Surround your children with God-thoughts and they will be insulated against the barrage of junk the world throws at them.

Implement these seven steps and see how your home will become heaven on earth in just a few weeks. Of course, Deuteronomy 11:21 literally means that God will let His people live in the land of promise for as long as the sky (heaven) is over the earth. That sounds good, too. I want to raise kids who live forever. I might help them do that by using these seven keys to attaining Heaven on earth.