# Sharpened Words for Little Ones Language: en Author: The editors Original issue: The Heartbeat of The Remnant, September/October 2000, Number 4 Source pages: 11–12 Read article: Original PDF: 2000\-09\-remnant\.pdf [The Heartbeat of The Remnant, September/October 2000]() ![A child looking upward\.]() Welcome to a new section in *The Remnant* magazine\. These articles are meant to be on the helpful side, yet also challenging\. We all know that it is our responsibility as fathers and mothers to teach our children the Word of God\. The title is derived from Deut\. 6 where God said to Israel, “and these words shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children”\. The picture and meaning in the Hebrew is to take Gods Word and sharpen it so it will go into the child’s heart easily and be understood\. We want to help each other do just that\. Each issue of *The Remnant* will have a few helpful ideas, that we have gleaned from you, from our own family devotions, and anywhere else we can find them\. We welcome any ideas that you have gained in your preparations for the family\. Write to us, we would love to hear from you\. We have laid out this page and dotted a line so you fathers can cut this page out and use it\. *The editors* ***Happy teaching\!*** ## Pleasant Words Pro\. 16:24 says “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones”\. You need two elements to illustrate this scripture\. Bring honey and salt to your family time and let each one taste both of them\. I suggest you start with the honey, then go to the salt\. Give them enough salt to make an impression\. Then turn to the verse in Proverbs to read and explain what God is saying\. Give examples of pleasant words like a kind good morning, or words of gratitude after a meal\. There are so many ways you can go with this, such as good communication manners, the right words for a visitor at church or at home\. The important thing here is to have a few practical pleasant words for them so they will understand what you mean\. If you have lots of thoughts on this you can skip the salt altogether\. However, many do not, therefore it is good to go to the salt and illustrate the lesson from the negative side\. Then when you are all done, finish up with a little more honey and let them taste the honey again before you go to prayer\. Have them pray about the meditation in a personal way before you go on to other family prayers\. ## Diligence A lesson on diligence\. I have discovered through my study of my own children, as well as in the operation of a manufacturing business, that the difference between a person who is diligent and one who is not is double\. If we stop and think about it, I’m sure all would agree\. As you establish this fact in your mind, consider the lifelong affects upon a child who learns to be diligent and the one who doesn’t\. The one, who is encouraged to develop this virtue while young, will get twice as much done in their life\. This is no small oversight if we miss it with our children\. You can teach this to your family very easily\. Find one of the many verses in Proverbs on diligence and read it\. Following a brief explanation of the verse, show them how much more can be done with a diligent spirit than without\. You and your wife, or one of the older children can do this in a number of ways\. Try putting ten dishes in each side of the sink\. Let your wife be the diligent one since she will naturally do the job faster than you will, because you don’t have much practice at this job, right\. The children will cheer for mom and have a lot of fun\. Then sit back down and teach the lesson emphasizing how much more they will be able to accomplish in every area of life\. ## Hurtful Words The hurtful nature of a sharp tongue\. After you have sung a few songs and the family is looking your way for some holy thoughts for the day, get up and go into the kitchen\. Dig around in the drawer for a while so they can wonder what you are doing, and then come back with a large butcher knife in your hand\. You will definitely have everyone’s attention\. Turn to the book of Proverbs and read chapter 12 verse 18, “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword\.” Explain the power of the tongue and how hurtful some words are, like stabbing someone with a knife\. I wouldn’t lay a child out on the floor to act it out on this one, but would simply stab into the air over and over as I illustrated how this can happen\. Make it very practical, and remind them of what they say to their brothers and sisters when no one is listening\. ## Wisdom To motivate the children to seek wisdom\. Start your time of meditation with a question to the children\. Questions are very effective tools to stimulate interest\. Jesus used them often\. The minds of the children have to focus in and think to answer your question\. Ask them what they would do if they were given the freedom to choose anything they want\. What would you choose? Tell the story of King Solomon\. Explain to them the awesome opportunity that God gave to him, and how he responded\. Then describe how God gave him his request and made him the wisest man on earth in his day\. Again, ask them what they would have chosen\. At this point, turn to Proverbs 4:1\-7 and read the account that Solomon gave of his father David teaching him and motivating him as a small boy to desire wisdom\. Solomon opened his heart to pursue wisdom when his was young\. Therefore, when he was given a chance to have anything, he chose the right things\. ## Honor To motivate the children to seek wisdom\. Select one of your children to use as an example to honor\. Start out at breakfast time and give a special seat, and maybe something special to eat\. As you move into your devotional time give them another exalted place to sit\. Follow this with some kind of crown and a wreath around their neck and finish the display of honor with a robe and words of special recognition\. You will probably need to let the child know that you plan to do this but don’t tell him why\. By the time you are finished you will have a ready listening audience\. Use the scriptures in Proverbs 4:7\-10 and show them that God will do this with them if they will seek after wisdom in their youth\.