RAISING SPIRITUAL CHAMPIONS
June 12, 2005 Jay Davis Robison 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
Popular poem several years ago: If you love something set it free If it comes back to you it is yours If it doesn’t it never was. Always uncomfortable w\poem Read new ending this week, But if it just sits in your living room, messes up your stuff eats your food, takes your $$, and doesn’t appear to realize you’ve set it free; you either married it or gave birth to it
Several weeks Family matters! this wk parenting gr-parenting so important alarming stats from Children’s Def Fund Marian Wright Edelman, Every day in America . . 38 Kids die violently, of that 3 neglect 13 homicide 16 shot accidentally, 6 commit suicide 5702 Children are arrested of that # 316 for violent crimes 403 for drug abuse, 5702 more tomorrow! May say if do crime do the time but consider each day 8523 Children are reported abused or neglected
Disheartening, upsetting parents may want to throw in towel But God believes in parents and grandparents today Matter of fact when Paul thinking of his r-ship to church at Thessolonica God said like a parent father or mom vs from Message Bible tips for Raising Spiritual Champions
With each of you we were like a father with his child, holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step by step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life. 1 Th 2:11-12 The Message
Young student of child behavior frequently delivered lecture “10 Commandments for Parents” Married became a father. Title of lecture altered to “10 Hints for Parents.” Another kid Lecture became ‘Some Suggestions for Parents.” 3rd child. Guy stopped lecturing. Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations
Underlined words points for sermon today discuss these But remember you are RAISING ADULTS not CHILDREN All your children will ever be, they are now becoming… What you do w\them at 2, 4, 6 or 8 will determine what they will do at age 12, 18, 24, or 36, Right now, they under construction, like a new house built from the ground up. Once completed, house subjected to forces of nature wear & tear of life. Will foundation crack? or roof leak? Don’t know til get there
1. Holding Hands
Paul talking to church in Thessalonica, were being led astray said I am like a dad leading children, look at how Dads\Moms are to lead, Holding hands
Remember when you were small what did adults say Hold my hand now while we cross the street Idea of protection, and orientation to world
Few phrases in world as powerful as "I love you anyway."
11 Things Kids need to know Bill Gates Business @ The Speed of Thought, Gates says know them as lessons for life, basis for real world
RULE 1 - Life is not fair; get used to it.
RULE 2 - The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
RULE 3 - You will NOT make $40,000 yr out of HS. You won’t be a VP w\cell phone, until earn both a HS & college degree.
RULE 4 - If think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.
RULE 5- Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping, they called it opportunity.
RULE 6 - If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
RULE 7 - Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. Got that way from paying your bills; cleaning your clothes & listening to you talk about how cool you are.
RULE 8 - Your school may have done away w\winners & losers, but life has not. Some schools abolished failing grades; let you try as many times as you want to get right answer. This doesn’t bear slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
RULE 9 - Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
RULE 10 - Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to their jobs.
RULE 11 - Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.
Important instructions about life, give them orientation hold hands to protect and sometimes to explain how life is valuable role for parents to fulfil
2. Whispering Encouragement
When a job isn’t done the way it should be, every parent has choice of saying something that will either encourage person to do better next time, or discourage them from trying most of us can tell when we cross that line
More often it has to do w\tone of my voice than words use. "You can do better" can be spoken w\disapproval or approval. Disapproval "This isn’t good enough you’re a disappointment" Approval says, "This is a great start. You’re headed in the right direction." Don’t withhold encouragement from others.
10 to 1 negative vs positive statements in avg home. Dan Benson in The Total Man.
No one CAN DO EVERYTHING
But everyone CAN DO SOMETHING
Especially for a Woman, Ann Kiemel Anderson writes sister Jan taught 3 grade. One bright boy admired Jan his teacher. Enjoyed talking to her, but did poorly in work assignments & daily quizzes. One day, Jan stopped, looked at him, said, Rodney you’re very smart, could be doing so well in school. In fact you are one of my finest students. Before she finished he looked up w\sober large blue eyes: “I did not know that!” From then on, Rodney began to change. Work neater, his spelling improved became one of top students in class. All because teacher affirmed him. She told him something no one ever had said before. It changed his life.
No one ever became ill or died from receiving too much genuine praise & encouragement self-esteem today it seems to be tied to our abilities. Everybody can do something & nobody can do everything If your life and my life not grounded will fall apart. What happens when you have it all & lose it. What happens when Superman becomes a wheelchair man? What happens when supermodel gains some super weight or gets super old? What happens when a super intelligent person has a stroke? What happens when a superstar is washed up? What happens when have a super job & lose it? What then? Xians believe no one beyond God’s help unless put self there
To whisper encouragement or even more to shout it 1. Show unconditional love. Although we do not condone their lifestyle we will never stop loving them. 2. Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed. If you’ve done your best you could enlist prayer help for kids. 3. Love enough to show tough love. Are times we have to take a stand. Do so for the right reasons. Not because we are angry, or fed up w\them. Or because of what others think. But cause we love them enough to make tough decision that will ultimately help them even though they no understand it. 4. Don’t give up or lose hope! We have encouraged others to keep hoping & believing no matter what see. Remember, God loves your children even more than you love them.
3. Showing you Step by Step
We all do better when we have a model when there is someone showing us how by doing it when they are walking with us
What we SAY to our children… what we DO is equally important
Paul says as parents we should be Vs 12B NRSV Pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, Worthy= BEING IN THE BALANCE witnesses to godly behavior holy and righteous, w\out blame worthy carries with it the idea of weight, balance the character of God, walk worthily
• Love is not letting your children get away with anything they want to do. True love sets limits and boundaries because we know that is what’s best for our kids.
• Love is not giving our children everything they want. is a tendency in our fast paced life style to give kids things rather than spend time w\them. love does not equal material gifts.
• Love is not being a doormat for our children. problem of letting children control the family w\temper tantrums or constant whining, little monsters are developed in process. The proverb, “Spare the rod and spoil the child,” does not mean endless punishment, it means guiding and shaping the child to honor and respect authority.
Be under AUTHORITY yourself, let them see your example
How you treat your boss or the cop who pulls you over is how kids treat teacher Do they know you are under authority?
When we mess up we fess up
Larry Crabb watching his father pray when he only 4 years old. "It was Sunday morning, and about 50 people gathered in a circle at our (Lord’s Supper) service. The elements - covered simply with a white cloth - were on a table in the middle. The arrangement was intentional: it spoke of Christ as the center of our thoughts. "Dad stood to pray. I was lying on the floor, looking up at him. Even now, the memory is clear. I thought to myself, ’He actually thinks he is talking to Someone. And whoever it is means more to him than anyone else...’"
1 Corinthians 6:12 says…"Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything.
1 Corinthians 10:23 says…"Everything is permissible"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is constructive.
Show them you have to clarify your values over and over Yesterday I struggled with something I wanted which was not best or most important for me had to say to God you more important than this to me
Do your kids know you are concerned for their spiritual life? Do your kids and grandkids know that you pray for them? Do you? Not just make them do things, but pray for them that should never be in doubt, from womb on
If you are here today with a parent or grandparent that not an accident, they concerned about your spiritual life
God has given us the privilege of influencing the lives of our children. God did that because God believes you are capable of modeling the qualities those kids will need.
We are a major force in our children’s lives.
That’s what God created us to be for our children
Dear Lord thank you for placing in my life Help me lord to hold their hand when necessary world scary Help me to whisper and shout encouragement but also Help me to show them a Christlike life, even today
