The Five Big Things

Most everyday in our home we have family devotions. Now I teach in different places, but mostly to adults. And very often, the discussions can become rather technical. At the seminary we are studyng the Bible in the Hebrew and Greek, trying to plum the depths as it were. But talking with my children from ages 4-14 forces me to do the harder thing: find the big ideas and simplify!

Taking the whole Bible, all that I have studied and tried to learn, how would you sum up the big idea when your children (or anyone else for that matter) wants to know what to do. Well, I thought about it, and I found in the Scripture five big ideas, five big commands, that I felt summed up what we are supposed to be about down here on earth. These come from the Bible and have been there all along, so I am not in any way original. But it has been helpful in talking with my kids to highlight these ideas and talk about them. So here is the list:

1. Love God (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:36-38).

2. Love others (Matt. 22:39-40; Rom. 13:8-10).

3. Manage the Planet (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15).

4. Grow (Matt. 5:48; Luke 2:52; 2 Pet. 3:18)

5. Make Disciples (Matt. 28:19-20).

I believe that all the commands in Scripture can be understood in terms of these five big ideas. They provide me and and my family with a vision for life.

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