Christian Parenting

Christian Parenting

Ephesians 6:1-4

Good morning.

I read a story about two little boys who were walking home from Sunday school where they were taught a lesson about the Devil.

One little boy asked the other, “What do you think of this devil business?”

“Well,” replied the other boy, “You know how the Santa thing turned out, how he’s really your father.”

Please open your Bibles to Ephesians 6,

In second service today we will have seventeen children who are going to be dedicated to the Lord so, we are going to talk about something very dear to the heart of the Lord, the family.

God’s design for forming society from the very beginning of time was through the family unit. God has a structure for how life is to operate. If we follow His will, we will be blessed.

If we decide we know better than God when it comes to how we should live, then this life will become a struggle.

I. Be a parent who listens well.

Read Ephesians 6:1

The Lord has put our children under our authority to obey and hear all they need to know about the Lord.

This is a good reminder for children, parents, and all of God’s children as well.

The word “obey” means to hear under. It also means to listen intently, to heed to, to conform to, or a command from authority.

According to my Jewish learning, the Shema is considered the most essential declaration of the Jewish faith. Young Jewish children would learn these truths from a very young age.

Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Deuteronomy 6:6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

Deuteronomy 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Deuteronomy 6:8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Deuteronomy 6:9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. NKJV

Children can quickly pick up on all the things we talk about and again, we speak most about the things we are passionate about.

If we want our children to have good listening skills, we must first realize listening is a learned behavior.

If we expect to teach our children to be good listeners, we must model good listening, in order for them to immolate us.

How much time do we as parents actually spend listening to our children?

If we added up the actual minutes in a day we speak with our children, I think we would be shocked, when we compare that, to the amount of time we devote to other, less important things.

What dominates your time? Is it social media, smart phones, internet, TV, sports….

As followers of Christ, we must give priority to the things which really matter. Here is the priority list the Lord gives to us:

1. Jesus Christ must be first and foremost within our lives.

In Deuteronomy, the Lord is calling us to be passionate for Him.

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

Jesus repeated these verses within the Greatest Commandment given in Matthew 22.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

Matthew 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." NKJV

We are to Love the Lord with all of our heart because true love is an act of our will, not our emotion.

Christ followers place their affections on Him above all else.

We are to Love the Lord with all of our soul, and our soul represents our whole life.

The way of the flesh is to live for self, a life unto me, and to serve me. As we love the Lord with all our souls, we love Him with our whole life, for Him, unto Him, while serving Him!

We cannot have the abundant life if we do not have Jesus on throne of lives, directing us.

We are to Love the Lord with all of our strength.

This is a life whose energy is fully devoted to Christ. We cannot compartmentalize our lives and think we are pleasing the Lord.

The only way our life can be lived for the Lord is allow the Lord to work in us to have true love for God and our neighbors.