Know God, Love God - Encouragement for Today - February 17, 2026

Jessica Nicolas February 17, 2026

Know God, Love God
JESSICA NICOLAS

“And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” Deuteronomy‬ 6‬:5‬ (NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

When I became a mother, I was determined to impart two essential values to my children: faith and love for God. I aspired for them to grow up recognizing that although my love for them is unwavering, there exists a more profound and enduring love that will accompany them throughout their lives. My hope was that knowing God’s love for them would anchor their love for Him.

Teaching children about knowing and loving God has been crucial for His followers for thousands of years. Deuteronomy 6:5 is part of the Shema prayer of ancient Israel, which commanded parents to teach their children the words of the Lord so they would not forget His ways:

“And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”

This is the key: Future generations need to be taught God’s character so they can know and love Him. That’s why I made it my mission to impart this knowledge to my children. How else can we truly know God if not through Scripture?

I began a journey of looking for innovative methods for my children to connect with the Bible, one of which was Bible journaling. This approach enabled them to merge their creativity with the words they read, ultimately treasuring Scripture in their hearts.

Now, I won’t pretend these moments of family worship and study were always picture-perfect. Many times, I was redirecting attention, mediating between siblings, or just plain tired. On those hard days, I remembered my goal to teach my children to know and love God. And although there were days where I felt nothing went right, there were many days where their comments or responses blew my mind or brought tears to my eyes.

I still have a young daughter who continues to Bible journal with me, and my two older sons are teenagers now. I can see the beginning fruit of teaching them God’s Word. I am witnessing their love of God through how they serve in church and share the gospel with their friends. I am confident that the next generation in my family won’t forget the God of their parents — the Lord their God.

You and I play such an important role in the next generation’s faith. Your faithfulness in training up your children is not in vain, even when it looks that way in the present. You are planting seeds of knowledge and love of God. And I promise you that once your children know God, they can’t help but love God.

Dear God, I want my children to know and love You as I have, and I recognize that I need Your help. Guide me as I teach them about You through Your Word and as I live out my faith for them to see. I want to be the vessel You use to bless their spiritual growth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

Inspire your kids’ creativity, Bible reading, and love for God with the new Inspire Bible for Kids. This Bible is packed with fun activities designed to help your children engage with God’s Word.

ENGAGE

Get started with the book of Luke from Inspire Bible for Kids today! For Bible journaling inspiration, join us @theinspirebible on your favorite social platform. Connect with Jessica on Instagram @jessa_crownedbyjesus.

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Proverbs 22:6, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it” (NLT).

Deuteronomy 6:6-7, “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up” (NLT).

Why is God’s Word important to you, and how can you share that with the next generation?

What are some creative methods you’ve used to help your children connect to God’s Word? Let’s chat and share in the comments!

Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org