Family Circus

Family Circus

Abby Porter

The Bridge Church Upstate

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 NLT

We ALL have a circus for a family NOT GOING TO TELL YOU I HAVE A PERFECT FAMILY BECAUSE I DO NOT.

TELL ABOUT GOING TO YOUR FIRST CIRCUS WITH KIDS

There are some things about a Circus that never change:

Ringmaster

3 rings

tight rope artisit-single parents, grandparents trying to balance

clowns-every family has one, they think they are funny but sometimes there just scary

Lion tammer-the person who tries to keep eveyone calm, in place and in order

IN our 3 rings of our personal family circus we have in

1st ring-Marriage

2nd ring-Children

3rd ring-other family/JOBS

EVERYONE'S Life Is A CIRCUS EVERYONE'S kids are a Circus

One thing we do wrong is the order and how we look at our family especially the chirldren:

Jesus should be the ULTIMATE RIGHTEOUS RINGMASTER

HE HAS AN ADJENDA FOR OUR FAMILY

GOD IS OUR AUDIENCE AND WE ARE THE ACT. JESUS IS IN CONTROL OF OUR ACTIONS IN THE RING AS PARENTS AND AS CHILDREN AND HE DIRECTS US IN A WAY THAT PLEASES GOD IN THE AUDIENCE.HE HAS THE BEST IN STORE FOR OUR CHILDREN IF WE ARE OBEDIENT AND TRUST HIM.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 NKJV

1 "Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess,

2 that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.

3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you--'a land flowing with milk and honey.'

4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

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

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

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.

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

9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

PRAY

1-Living Right

How people Live today-How can we expect our children to live under the authority of God if we are not.

If we are followers of Christ then we are to be teaching our children HIS word and what God says about living in the image

Successful parenting always begins with a parent's relationship with God. No parent can succeed in helping a child grow up into the image of the Lord unless they know the Lord.

Parents must be walking in a right relationship before the Lord or they will never have the influence in their children's lives that is needed. In other words, you will never be able to lead your children somewhere you have never been. These first few verses speak to this issue and show parents where they need to be if they are going to be the effective parents God desires them to be.

Do your children know that God will bless honesty? 1 Thess. 4:11-12.11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

Do your children see that faithfulness is blessed by God? Matt. 25:21.

Do your children see serving God as optional or mandatory?

They will learn exactly what they observe in your life. They need to know that God blesses faithful people. If they see us enjoying the great blessings of the Lord, they will want the same things for their own lives.

(? SHOW them that serving God is the only way to live, and that obedience to the Lord always pays off. Let's show them that God's way is the best way. It is far better to raise a religious fanatic than a heathen. When your parenting duties are over, your children will be a living memorial to your investment in their lives.

By the way, you can't do that if all you do is complain about the church, the preacher and way things are done at the Lord's house. You can't teach them to honor the Lord if you don't honor Him. You can't teach them to be faithful if you aren't faithful. You can't teach them to love the Lord if all you do is encourage them to love the world.)