Loving our Children
Lesson 2
Isaiah 55:3 - "Incline your ear and come to Me; so that your soul may live."
Isaiah 55:6 - "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near."
Isaiah 55:8 - "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, "declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My
thoughts than your thoughts."
1 Cor. 1:27 - "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
Isaiah 29:14 - "These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips but their hearts
are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men."
Rom. 12:2 - "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
I recently asked several young adults who had a strong christian faith to rank the top two things that they believe contributed to that faith in their lives. Although not identical, the answers had a similar theme. First and foremost was the example set in their childhood. They sited that being taught a Biblical World View was instrumental in their faith building. But, not just being taught. The second thing was seeing authentic christians living out their faith in front of them. The individuals surveyed stated the importance of witnessing the christian life in action and being guided in discerning what is God honoring. Two said that after being taught, they then began to see the wisdom of the christian life as they saw God working in their choices. This just confirmed for them that the Gospel is indeed truth.
Just before Jesus made His way to the garden on the night of His arrest He prayed for His disciples.
"But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them. I have given them Your word and the world has hated them. For they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the wold, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth."
It is clear that scripture teaches us to live our lives here IN the world by rejecting the wisdom of the world. We then are to walk by faith in the word of God. I like to call it LIVING COUNTER-CULTURALLY
Daring to be different can be difficult.
It was said of the early believers that they "turned the world upside-down" (Acts 17:6). The messages of Christ were radical and it can be argued that they still are today. Western culture is very selfish focusing around how you look. Our society is all about branding, slick advertiding, and social image. People seek power and prestige.
In such a culture it is easy to loose sight of the fact that God delights in displaying His power through our weakness. God chooses what is foolish to shame the wise.
Alex Kocman in the article entitled, "5 Foolish, Simple Things God uses" said,
" We put together Westerners ought to slow down as we read this chapter (1Cor. 1) so as not to trip over these words. There's an ironic beauty to how God uses lowly, weak things to demonstrate His power, but if we focus on only what is hip, new, appealing, and comfortable, we will miss God Himself."
I tried hard to teach my children that the flashy things of the world can be deceptive. We learned to live without many of the things that the world said you needed. One day I took my son out to get a pair of sneakers. He was quite content to buy a Walmart brand and had no issues with it at all. All of a sudden I started to feel scared inside. What if the other kids make fun of him for having sneakers from Walmart? I found myself asking him, "Wouldn't you rather have a name brand sneaker?" He said, "NO!" Why was I letting the pressure of the world play out in that moment? Something so little could have undermined all the teaching he had embraced. A small example but it shows how easily the worldly ways can just creep in when you least expect it.
So, how do we live IN this world and not be a part OF the world?
1) SANCTIFY YOURSELF IN THE TRUTH
Jesus tells us the remedy to worldly living in the prayer mentioned above. He said, " Sanctify them by the truth, Your
word is truth."
We have to choose what we are going to do with the word of God. Is it the unwavering guide for our lives? Are we convicted in the truth of the Bible?
I believe that choice is initially made upon our conversion but daily we have to also choose to accept the word as we
encounter our live experiences. Will I choose to obey the word when it seems nonsensical, when it is hard, when it is
uncomfortable? Will we trust that God's promises are all true?
2) COMMIT TO DEVELOPING HABITS THAT SUPPORT A LIFE OF OBEDIENCE
Bible reading and study
Fellowship with believers
Worship of the One True God
Prayer
The early church devoted themselves to the Apostles doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)
3) FILL YOUR LIFE WITH GOOD AND GODLY THINGS
Be mindful of what you are feeding yourself. And I am not talking about physical food. Check the things you are
putting into your heart and mind. Only take in that which is holy and points you to Jesus.
Also take time to purge sin and hindrances from your daily life.
4) PRACTICE CONFESSING JESUS
Find ways to share your faith with those you come in contact with. As the Holy Spirit develops in you the fruit of
the Spirit, demonstrate them to others.
LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, GOODNESS, KINDNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS,
SELF CONTROL
Don't keep hidden the joy of His salvation you possess.
Don't be ashamed to speak the name of Jesus.
5) NOTICE DAILY DIVINES
Make it a practice to notice the small, simple ways that God works every day. Take note of how God is assuring
you that you are loved and cared for by Him. Focus on the good of His Kingdom, His people, and His love.
As we put away criticism and negative thoughts, we are then free to see the never ending blessings of the creator
of the universe and we will be able to see the amazing ways God works in the simple daily walk. His banner over
us is love and it can cover anything that Satan puts our there. All praise and honor are His alone.
6) DON'T EVER DESPISE OR PUT DOWN THAT WHICH SEEMS FOOLISH TO THE WORLD
BE A CHAMPION OF THE RADICAL MESSAGE OF JESUS
LOVE OVER HATE
FORGIVENESS OVER REVENGE
LOOSING LIFE TO FIND IT
THE LAST OVER THE FIRST
SUBMISSION TO FIND FREEDOM
A CHILD'S HEART OVER POWER
JESUS, THE ONLY WAY, TRUTH AND LIFE
THE LEAST BEING THE GREATEST
ADD YOUR OWN ____________________________________________
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How do we then INSTILL the same desire in our children?
Follow the 6 steps above and live it out in front of your children!
There are no guarantees that our children will choose a strong Christian faith. The world is enticing and Satan is crafty and great at what he does. However, the promise of God is that "He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world." The word of the Lord will not fail us. The faithful life in Christ brings abundant joy and is a beacon of hope. Even if our children choose another way they will always see the light of our lives there beckoning them to return to Jesus.
The reason why God chooses to use the simple, meek things of the world to bring about His purposes is because then no-one can claim the glory. It is obvious then that it was God and God alone who deserves the credit and praise. In our weakness, He is strong.
1 Cor. 1 ends like this:
"Brothers, consider the time of your calling: not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. But God chose foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."
STUDY QUESTIONS
1) Are you tempted by worldly wisdom?
2) How do you combat that temptation?
3) What are practical ways you teach your children to follow Godly wisdom?
4) What are some family habits you have established to train your children in the Lord?