9.15.24 - Dr. Jeff Raines

Raising Teenagers or Screenagers - Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Today we are talking about the technology that has taken root in our lives and how that is effecting the way we are raising our children.

In our text today, Deuteronomy boils down all of the law to one commandment - to love. As parents and leaders, Deuteronomy 6 tells us that the words that God tells us should be on our OWN hearts first. What we choose to be passionate about in our lives is the prevailing factor that will shape our children’s lives. The greatest gift that we can give our children is a life of devotion to Jesus Christ.

We also need to be devoted to teaching the core Christian spiritual principles to our children. In our text, the Hebrew word for teach here literally means “to sharpen”. To sharpen something means that we continually attend to it - again and again. This is the way we are called to teach our children - continually.

Our children are especially vulnerable to the technology of today that is DESIGNED to keep us addicted to our screens. This increased attention to our screens is creating an incredible amount of anxiety and depression today.

Let’s make sure that WE are teaching our children that fulfillment and peace and joy does NOT come through the world and its devices but ONLY comes from our relationship with Jesus and experiencing his presence.