Deuteronomy 6:4-9

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

My first year as a band director, I was responsible for teaching every instrument to students who had never played a band instrument before. Even though I knew how to play a lot of instruments, there was one that I was really worried about - the trombone. I couldn’t remember which slide position went where and for what note. I was worried about how I was ever going to teach all of these students…especially the trombone players, without messing them up for life. Then a wise band Director told me, “just stay one page ahead of them in the book.” Genius! I didn’t have to be a trombone expert! I could learn along with them, one page at a time, making sure I was ready for what came next in the book.

I think many people in our churches worry about working with kids or leading a Bible study because they think they have to be experts. Parents may worry about teaching their kids at home the wrong thing about the Bible or our faith. The good news is you don’t have to be an expert and can simply learn alongside them.

Read God’s word. Share it with fellow-church members, your co-workers and your family. You don’t have to be an expert, but God commands us to “Talk about [His word] when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Just remember to read your Bible and stay one page ahead!

Dear God,

Thank you for your word. Help us to read your word and share it with those you have put around us. Amen.