FAMILY CORNER
.Keeping Your Children Interested in Spiritual Things
Christian
parents have one thing in common: We all want our children to grow up loving
and serving God. Because of this, we take them to Sunday school, and as they
get older, we make sure they are involved in a good youth group.
Unfortunately, however, simply bringing your kids to church
may not be enough. Children who are raised in church often rebel and practice
lifestyles in exact opposition to the way they were raised.
How then can you encourage your children's spiritual growth?
Here are some suggestions:
1. Check
your own spiritual barometer.
A significant difference between your behavior at home and your behavior with
other Christians is unacceptable. You cannot expect your kids to embrace
Christianity if you are only “holy” on Sundays. If you have a hypocritical
lifestyle, you may encourage your children to reject God altogether.
Be open to your children's
observations. Although I expect my kids to be respectful, their honest words
shine a light on my shortcomings. For instance, one morning my daughter came to
me with an open Bible and pointed out the fact that I don't always do things
without complaining (Philippians
2. Make
ministry inside the home a higher priority than ministry outside the home.
In our efforts to minister to others, many times we fail to see the needs of
our own families. Although ministry
responsibil- ties are important, God has made each of us directly responsible
for our families.
3. Spend
time daily teaching your children the things of God. With hectic
schedules, this can be difficult. However, if you find that you don't have time
consistently to teach your children about the Lord, you may need to reassess
your priorities.
When our kids were younger, we had
family devotions right before bedtime. Now that we're home schooling, designating
Bible as our first subject in school works best. Find the time that works best
for your family and stick with it.
Use curriculum that suits your
family. When I first started teaching my kids about the Bible, I tried to
captivate them with dynamic devotions. I wanted the Bible to be fun! It was fun
(for them!), but the preparation time was more than I could handle. I've taught
Bible more consistently and the kids have grown more spiritually since I
switched to a simpler curriculum.
4. Be enthusiastic about Sunday
services. Throughout
the week, talk positively about the coming Sunday. Together with your
children develop the attitude, "I
rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD'"
(Psalm 122:1).
In Bible times, the Sabbath actually
began the night before. Spend time on Saturday night getting into the proper
frame of mind for Sunday. Have a special time of prayer with your children for
the services the next morning. If you have trouble finding time for family
devotions on a daily basis, try making a habit of it on Saturday night.
5. Practice
devotional living. Don't discuss spiritual things only at church or
during family devotional time. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 illustrates the importance of
teaching your children about the Lord throughout the day.
Ask God to open your eyes to the way
He works in the mundane activities of your life, and then share those insights
with your kids. When God provides for your needs, make comments about the way
He is faithful in blessing you. If you see something in nature that illustrates
a spiritual truth, share that with your kids.
When you see a beautiful sunset make it a means
of pointing it out and thanking our Creator.
When a sudden difficulty arises, make it a matter of prayer with them
‘on the spot.‘ When
someone calls with a prayer request, gather the children together and
immediately pray for that need. If you're out driving and see a car accident or
hear an ambulance, briefly pray for the people involved.
When your children are having
difficulty in various situations, stop right then and pray with them about it.
If you blow up at your kids, immediately
ask their forgiveness, pray with them, and ask God (and your kids) to forgive you.
As you begin to practice devotional
living, talking about the Lord will become second nature to you; you won't even
have to think about it.
6. Speak highly of those in church leadership.
Teach your kids to respect those God has placed in positions of authority over
us. Don't fall into the trap of griping about the pastor or other leaders
within the church or even in school or governmental authority.
7. Most important, never stop
praying. When
there is a problem with a child, rather than reaching for the nearest
child-training book, hit your knees. Although books give much practical
insight, nothing compares to the wisdom and power that comes from seeking God. It
will be meaningful for children to see us acknowledging the Lord and seeking
the wisdom from Above.
Everyone—adult and child alike—has a
free will and must make his or her own decision to follow Christ. Wisely implementing
these suggestions will encourage your children to do just that.
R. Livermore
Little Chap Who Follows Me
A
careful man I ought to be; a little fellow follows me.
I
do not dare to go astray for fear he’ll go the selfsame way.
I
cannot once escape his eyes, whate’er he sees me do, he tries,
Like
me, he says, he’s gonna be, this little chap who follows me,
He
thinks that I am good and fine; believes in every word of mine.
The base in me he must not see, this little chap who
follows me.