You Can Do It

Have you had that overwhelming feeling that you cannot teach your kids spiritual truth?  You are not alone.  The responsibility of raising kids in Christ can be overwhelming.  The odds are you do not have a PHD in theology or an MDIV in pastoral ministries but you know in your heart that you are suppose to be teaching your kids about Jesus.  If you did not begin while they were in the womb, it's okay.  Whatever kept you from speaking spiritual truth into their lives before is past.  I am here to tell you that you can do it.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 "“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.   You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

You have to understand that the nation of Israel was not full of Old Testament scholars at this time.  The entire nation did not go to seminary.  Moses spoke to the whole nation giving them the Lord's commands.  Moses did not leave any wiggle room in the command.  Parents are commanded to teach their children the ways of God.  Parents are called to be the spiritual leaders of their homes.  If you do not feel you can do it, ask Jesus to help you.  If you are a brand new Christian, I suggest you start with a simple child's devotion book while you get into a new believer's Bible study class yourself.  Teaching our kids spiritual truth does not have to be formal or stuffy.  Model the faith and love God.

The key to raising kids who love God is loving God yourself.  Loving God with all of our heart means we live what we say we believe.  Telling our kids what is right and not doing it ourselves undermines Christ.  Our kids can spot hypocrisy from a distance and they know if our lives match our words.  What kind of faith are you passing on to your kids?  Would that please the Lord if you had an honest conversation with Him?  You can start now.  I promise you that it is not too late to pass a relevant and authentic faith to your kids.  YOU, AS THE PARENT, ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT INFLUENCE IN YOUR CHILD'S LIFE.  That is how God designed it.  He created in our kids a desire to be like mom and dad.  

Think about these statements.  Do I tithe?  Regardless of the answer to that question think back to your parents.  Did they tithe?  Whether you realize it or not, most people follow the example of their parents.  The same can be said of serving God.  Do you serve Jesus in your local body or are you a total consumer?  What did your parents model for you?  If we examine each facet of our lives, most of us would readily admit that there are changes that we have to make.  The question is not should we make these changes but when are we going to make these changes.

I want to encourage each of you.  Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established."  Psalm 37:5 "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act."  We need to commit our teaching of our kids about God to the Lord and He promises that He will help us prosper. 

Idols

If we examine our lives carefully and with honest reflection, we have to admit that we squeeze God into our schedules.  We plan on meeting with Him on Sundays (maybe mornings or nights) and possibly on Wednesdays.  Doesn’t that sound funny when you say it slowly?  We fit God into our busy schedules when in reality we should be prioritizing our lives around God.  He should be the One that creates our schedules.  God wants to shatter our schedules for His.  He wants to invade every corner of our lives and be in the center of every conversation.  He wants the first place in our hearts, souls and minds.  That’s why the first commandment states that there are to be no other gods before Him. 

When was the last time you stopped and looked at your hectic schedule?  When was the last time you had the courage to say no to something good to be available for something great.  We all have idols in our lives if we do not guard our hearts.   Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your hearts with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."  We were created to worship.  If we do not worship God then we will worship something else.  For our kids, idols can be video games, sports, dance etc.  It is not hard for these kinds of activities to take control of our kid’s affections and hearts.  As parents, we have to help our kids guard their hearts.  We have been given the awesome responsibility of guiding them towards Christ.  Our relationship with God has to reflect a life without idols in order to model this before our kids.  This week I challenged the kids to read their Bibles everyday and put all of their idols away.  We emphasized that sports etc. are not bad in and of themselves, but they should be put in their proper perspective.  They have their place in our lives but Jesus takes first place.

This is a great time,  as a family, to take a serious inventory of your lives and get back to the Gospel.  The Good News of Jesus demands that our hearts reflect Him in every way.  I encourage you to repent, individually and as a family, asking God to show you what is getting in the way of a deeper relationship with Him.  This year can be the turning point for your family in your walk with God.  

God Alone

It's amazing how Christianity, especially in the US, has become so man centered or self centered.  Our culture tells us to look out for number one.  Media and advertisers pander to our selfish desires.  Self esteem has hit an all time high and as a culture we are raising a generation of kids to be self absorbed.  Self help books take up an enormous amount of space in the bookstores.  This is not a new problem but one that has become overwhelming.

On the surface this does not sound so devious or evil.  Our body is the Lord's temple and we are told to take care of ourselves.  No problem right.  Wrong!  

Romans 3:11 says "There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God."

Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God..."
Revelation 22:21 says "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen."

The first verse in the Bible begins with God and the last verse on the Bible ends with Jesus.  It cannot be stated any better.  Our thoughts should be on Christ when we wake up and when we go to bed.  Jesus deserves our praise and He is the only one that deserves to be glorified.

Is self-esteem Biblical?

Public perception of a child's growth has centered around the idea of improving a child's self-esteem.  If a child feels better about themselves, then they will do better in school and their careers as they grow.  This thinking has led to parents bending over backwards to satisfy every need of their children.  If you are a parent and are exhausted, I have good news for you.

Jesus explains the dilemma so well when He says in Luke 9:23 "And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."  This is the opposite of what psychologists have been speaking about for many years.  Teaching children to think of others first is counter cultural but it is exactly what the Bible teaches.  Galatians 5:13-14 "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  The ME first attitude should not be cultivated.  Kids need to learn JOY.  Jesus-Others-You  When kids begin to see this lived out in your life, they begin to model what they see.  Christ calls us to love others more than ourselves.  Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."