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The Purpose of Parenting

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • What are the ages of your children? Share about a recent experience that describes their personalities. • What kind of parent would you like to be? • Who is the most admirable parent you know? Tell us about what makes him or her stand out. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟰 Parenting is one of life’s most rewarding and difficult experiences. Deciding how to best care for a child, especially with a variety of parenting styles being advocated, can be overwhelming. Despite these different approaches, the Bible is a timeless guide that reveals to us the God-given purposes of parenting and principles on how to raise our children. This week, we will look at what the Bible says about the purpose of parenting. Together, we desire to be guided by God’s word as we fulfill our role as parents in a way that honors God and blesses our children. 𝟭. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗯𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱. 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟰 “𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘖 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 . . .” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟰-𝟳 𝘏𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 . . . 𝗣𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗠 𝟳𝟴:𝟱-𝟳 In the New Testament, there aren’t many verses that speak specifically on parenting. But, one of the passages that does is Ephesians 6:4, where fathers are instructed to bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. This means that parents are responsible for teaching their children about God and His ways. As parents, our primary role is to teach our children to love God and to put their faith in Him. The goal of parenting isn’t merely to raise well-behaved kids or for them to know all the Bible stories. Rather, as the Psalmist wrote, our hope is that our children put their hope in God. As much as we would want our children to have faith in Jesus, it’s not something we can force upon them. It’s a decision that our children will need to make on their own. But what we can do as parents is to give them every opportunity to know Jesus and learn to put their faith in Him. What are some ways we can do this today? 𝟮. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝟭𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝟱:𝟴 𝘈 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 . . . 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝟭𝟯:𝟮𝟮 In addition to teaching our children to love and trust in God, we should provide for their physical and material needs. This includes food, shelter, clothing, and anything else they require to live and thrive. Furthermore, the Bible exhorts parents to do everything possible to provide an inheritance for their children and even their grandchildren. This will serve as a springboard for children to fulfill their God-given purpose and advance His kingdom long after we, their parents, are gone. Do you believe that an inheritance is only physical and financial? What other legacy can you leave to future generations? 𝟯. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰; 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝟮𝟮:𝟲 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝗣𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗠 𝟭𝟮𝟳:𝟰 As parents, we are not simply to provide for our children’s present needs; we are to prepare them for their future life. We are to train them in a way that what they learn will be with them for life. Psalm 127:4 likens children to arrows. A warrior shapes and maintains the arrow before carefully and deliberately aiming it at its target. It is critical to prepare and aim the arrow because once released, the warrior loses control of it. Similarly, we recognize the limited time we have to directly influence, train, and lead our children in the right path. This includes teaching them not only practical skills and knowledge for the real world, but also how to rely on God, hear from Him, and live out His purpose for their lives. While many people believe that the goal is to transition children from dependence to independence, the goal should be to transition them from dependence on us as their parents to God as their Father. When children are dependent on God, they will be guided even when they are older. What are some important things you believe children should be prepared for? God has a great purpose and future for our children, far better than anything we could hope for or imagine. So for the years that our children are under our care, we should take every opportunity to bring them to Jesus so that they will experience the blessed kind of life in Christ, for in Him we find hope, life, and purpose. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • How have you been teaching your children to love the Lord and preparing them for life? What can you do to improve in these areas? • Among the three purposes mentioned above, which do you believe you should give more attention to in the season of life? • In what ways have you struggled as a parent in following God’s purpose for parenting? How can you seek His guidance and wisdom in this area? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Declare your commitment to God to faithfully lead your children to Him. Pray for God’s grace and wisdom to be upon you as you do this. • Pray for your children to grow in faith in Jesus, that they would pursue Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. • Pray for the wisdom and power to provide for your children their needs and to prepare them for life.

The Heart of Parenting

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • Think of something valuable that was entrusted to you. What did you do to make sure this valuable thing was well taken care of? • Recall a time when you were given a task you looked forward to doing. What made you excited? • What is the most challenging part of correcting a mistake someone made? How do you approach this? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘚𝘰 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥: 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺; 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝟭 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟱:𝟭-𝟰 Parents have the responsibility to care for the spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing of their children. The heart and attitude of a parent is just as important as the purpose of parenting and the methods we use. Parents should not only have the right purpose and do the right things—they also need to have the right heart. The passage above directly applies to the kind of heart and attitude that church elders should have in leading the people of God. However, these principles also apply to parents, especially since the church is likened to a family (Ephesians 2:19). Paul, as an apostle, also likened his relationship with the church (1 Corinthians 4:14–15) as a father to his children. As parents, we function as the spiritual leaders at home. Our children are part of the flock that God has entrusted to our care. In this lesson we will look at three attitudes of our hearts that God wants us to have as we shepherd our children. 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱. . . . 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 . . . 𝟭 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟱:𝟮 While our children may carry our family name, they belong to God. We are stewards exercising oversight over them. When we take this truth to heart, it will change how we view and treat our children. Since they ultimately belong to God, we cannot simply do as we please. We are to raise them according to God’s word and be empowered by Him. When we have this mindset of our children belonging to God, we cannot treat this responsibility casually. We need to give our children deliberate care and attention. Just like how stewards are held accountable by the owner, we too, as parents, are accountable to God in shepherding the children that He entrusted to us. What do you think will happen if we expose our children to the world without proper guidance? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀. . . . 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 . . . 𝟭 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟱:𝟮 Parenting is a very difficult responsibility requiring plenty of time, effort, resources, and personal sacrifice. Challenges in parenting are real, especially in the digital and highly globalized world we live in. We see more and more couples who greatly delay and even forego being parents because they see this as a hindrance to their personal growth and career advancement. On the other hand, others see their children as a means to meet their personal needs and goals. However, as spiritual leaders of God’s flock in our homes, we are to have willing and eager hearts in this great responsibility. Since this is God’s will for us, we can trust that He will continually work in us and empower us to have such a heart. What brings you the most joy in raising your children? How can you carry this same joy in every aspect of parenting? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 . . . 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬. 𝟭 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟱:𝟯 As God’s shepherds of our children, we are not to be domineering in our attitude towards our children. We are not to treat them harshly. This does not mean that we should not discipline them. However, when we do so, we are not to use our authority excessively just to get compliance. Rather, we are to show and guide our children to the truth. We are to be genuine examples of what we are teaching them. As parents, we should be the first to sincerely pursue living out what we want to teach our children so that they could see our lives and follow our example. This does not mean that we need to be perfect first. But the love of God and the heart of genuinely following Him should be evident in our lives. Are your words and actions aligned to the kind of example you want to set for your children? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝟭 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟱:𝟰 Aside from our love for God and our children as our motivation, Peter also points out another truth. When we take care of the flock that God has entrusted to us (our children), with the right attitude and heart, then when Jesus the Chief Shepherd appears, we will receive a reward from Him that will never fade. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • What does stewarding your children look like in your home? What are some ways you can help them love God and be more impactful in their lives? • Set aside time this week to reflect on the words you say and the actions you do toward your children. Ask God to help you discern how you can improve these. • Children have different needs as they grow older. What do you think are some areas in your children’s lives that need guidance from you? Think of practical ideas to answer these felt needs as you steward and raise your children. 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Praise God for the grace that abounds as we parent our children. Thank God for the privilege to shepherd His children, as He shepherds His flock. • Ask God for forgiveness for the times when you’ve knowingly or unknowingly neglected your children. Pray that God would remind you every day to be a good steward and parent towards them. • Pray that every word or action that comes from you would exemplify Christ’s love to your children. Ask God to show you how to follow in His ways and not rely on your own abilities, especially in the area of parenting.

Receiving Grace to Parent

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • How have your activities and schedules changed from being single to becoming a parent? What were the turning points? • What was the most memorable question your child asked you? How did you answer it? • What are some traits or mannerisms that your child has picked up from you? Recall an instance explaining this. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴. 𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗦 𝟮:𝟭𝟭-𝟭𝟰 It’s safe to say that most parents may feel inadequate in raising their children. Parenting is a difficult job—raising a child, especially in the ways of God, is a big responsibility. It is important to understand that this responsibility is bigger than us and beyond us. We therefore need to look to God—He who gave these children to us and also the one who has given us spiritual authority over our children. Through Jesus Christ, we are recipients and heirs of His abounding grace before we are called to be the father or mother of our children. God’s grace is His unmerited and unconditional favor and love towards the objects of His grace. It is multifaceted and finds many expressions in the lives of people. Today, we will look at some important ways God gives us grace as we parent our children. 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴. 𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗦 𝟮:𝟭𝟭-𝟭𝟰 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟮:𝟭𝟮-𝟭𝟯 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 . . . 𝟮 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟭:𝟯 Parents need God’s grace because parenting is one of the most challenging and rewarding roles in life. The responsibility of raising children can be overwhelming and demanding, requiring patience, love, and discipline. We need to know what is the right thing to do, how to do it, have the strength to do it, and carry it out with the right heart and attitude. There are times when we need to deal with children who are being difficult. We may struggle with balancing work and family responsibilities. We need to make many difficult decisions, such as discipline, education, and finances. This can overwhelm us by the weight of our choices. We have to manage our own emotions and remain calm and patient in the face of frustration and stress. As parents, we have to deal with disappointment when our children don’t meet our expectations or when they face setbacks. The good news is that God has made His grace available to us so that we could be the parents He wants us to be. God works in us to have the right will, desires, and attitude to do what pleases Him, even with regards to parenting. His grace teaches and trains us to distinguish between right and wrong. His grace also empowers us to do what is right and turn away from what is evil. By His grace, His power has been made available to us to do all that pertains to love and godliness. And we experience this more and more through our knowledge of Him. The more we know God and experience His grace, the more we are transformed and empowered to be who He has called us to be and what He has called us to do. How has God’s grace shaped you to become more aligned to His ways even in parenting your children? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴. 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟴:𝟭 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝟭 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟭:𝟵 God’s grace indeed empowers us to will and to act as parents according to what pleases Him. However, even with the best of intentions and efforts, we are still human and make mistakes. In these moments, we need God’s grace for us to experience God’s forgiveness, comfort, and restoration. When we fail, make mistakes, and even sin, we can experience His forgiveness and let go of our feelings of condemnation as we confess to Him our sins and receive His forgiveness. His grace brings us comfort when we know that our failures and shortcomings do not define us. It is not the end but rather an opportunity for God to grow us into maturity. This allows us to parent with a renewed sense of purpose and joy, despite the challenges and failures we may face. How has God’s grace given you assurance even in your shortcomings as a parent? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻. 𝘗𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘪𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳; 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟯:𝟭𝟮-𝟭𝟯 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴. 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. . . . 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴. 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮. . . . 𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴. 𝟭 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟰:𝟭𝟬–𝟭𝟭, 𝟭𝟲, 𝟭𝟵 An intrinsic part of the nature and the process of growth of children is making mistakes. Our children have a lot of limitations and weaknesses. They also still are in the process of learning right from wrong. They are still in the process of discovering things and learning how to properly relate to other people and, most of all, to God. Therefore, it is important that they are nurtured in an environment where they are extended grace. The good news is that experiencing God’s grace and love also helps us become more gracious to others as well. As we reflect on, appreciate, and rely on God’s love and grace towards us, He progressively works in us so that we too can be more gracious towards others, including our children. In what ways has your receiving of God’s grace, love, and forgiveness affected how you treat your children? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • In what specific areas in your life as a parent do you need God’s grace? Ask God that you would trust in His grace instead of leaning on your own understanding and abilities. • Recall any shortcoming you faced in parenting your children. After hearing today’s encouragement, what are some practical things you can do moving forward? • What are some ways you can help your children understand their mistakes? How can you do this in love and with the same grace God has given you? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His abundant grace as you raise your children. Thank God that despite the many challenges you face as a parent, He makes His strength and wisdom available. • Ask God for forgiveness for the times when you’ve magnified your shortcomings as a parent instead of focusing on His grace that comforts, forgives, and restores. • Pray that as you receive grace from God, He would continue to make you a channel of His grace to your children. Ask God to make your life a testimony of His grace so that your children may extend grace to others as well.

Teaching Grace to Our Children

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • Where do you usually go to spend time with your children? What makes that place special? • When you were younger, what did you want to become when you grew up? What do your children want to be when they grow up? • What is one lesson or life skill that you had to learn the hard way? What made it difficult and how did you respond? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟰 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥. 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟯:𝟮𝟭 Children can become resentful toward their parents for various reasons. These include lack of attention or affection, unfair treatment, unreasonable expectations, harsh or inconsistent discipline, and broken promises, among others. As parents, we are not to use our authority to cause our children to harbor feelings of resentment and bitterness. Rather, we are instructed to bring our children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Simply put, we are to make disciples of Jesus out of them. This means that we have a responsibility to teach our children about God and the gospel of His grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not just the content of the instruction that is important but also the manner that we teach, discipline, and raise our children. The following are some of the aspects of God’s grace that we are to teach and reflect to our children: 𝟭. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨; 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟮:𝟴-𝟵 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴. 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟴:𝟭 Arguably the most important instruction about God that we are to impart to our children is His grace that saves us from our sins and gives us the gift of eternal life. God no longer condemns sinners who have put their trust in Jesus Christ’s saving work. This truth is the foundation of all the other aspects of God’s grace we are to teach our children in order for them to live the kind of lives God wants them to have. As parents, we are also to reflect this truth in the way we treat our children. They need to see that our love and acceptance of them is not based on their performance. Children, by nature, because they are still learning, are prone to making mistakes. When they experience a forgiving, non-condemning environment, they will be more confident to learn and grow. What are other benefits in being reared in a grace-filled, non-condemning environment? 𝟮. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴. 𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗦 𝟮:𝟭𝟭-𝟭𝟰 While maintaining a grace-filled and non-condemning environment, parents also need to teach their children right and wrong. While mistakes are made, children need to understand that there is such a thing as sin that hurts God’s heart and displeases Him. Sin also hurts other people and the one who sins. The good news that we, as parents, can impart to our children is that God’s grace does not just allow our sins to be forgiven, but it also gives us power to overcome sin and do what is right. Our lives as parents should reflect this grace to our children. We do this by encouraging them—as they look to God and His saving grace, He will work in their hearts so that they will have godly desires and the ability to live according to His ways. We should also avoid giving negative labels to our children. Instead, we should remind them of their identity in Christ and encourage them that there is hope in Him to grow and be more Christlike. What are some examples of negative and positive labels parents place on their children? What do you think are the effects of these on them? 𝟯. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟮:𝟭𝟬 Our children must also be taught that God not only enables them to live a life that overcomes sin, one that is holy and pleasing to Him. He also has a good purpose for their lives and He provides us with the enabling grace to accomplish that purpose. As parents, we are to be a constant source of encouragement to our children in discovering God’s purpose for their lives and spurring them on to put their trust in God even in the midst of hardships, obstacles, and disappointment. We are to remind them that God can enable them to surpass their limitations because He is an all-powerful God. He works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. He can empower them to get up again even when they fail and continue on to pursue His call for their lives. What are some ways that you encourage your children and help them accomplish their goals? 𝟰. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴? “𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴.” 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦? 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴. . . . 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘺𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘪𝘵. 𝗛𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝟭𝟮:𝟱–𝟴, 𝟭𝟬–𝟭𝟭 There are many times that our children will receive corrections from us. At such times, our children may take our disapproval of their actions and our correction as a sign of our rejection of them. This could make them feel alienated, hurt, and dejected. However, we are to remind them that our discipline is not a sign of rejection. It is a sign that they belong and are accepted. After all, we do not discipline other people’s children because they are not ours. Because our children belong to us and we are concerned about them, we discipline our own. While we may not accept or approve of their actions, they are accepted as beloved children in the family. We are to teach them that this is a reflection of God’s grace in accepting His children. It is an affirmation of us being His legitimate children. God allows us to go through troubles in life and we are to consider them as His way of disciplining us. His discipline is a sign of His acceptance of us, not His rejection. God does not discipline us as His children to get back at or punish us. Because He loves and accepts us, God disciplines us for our good so that we might become more like Christ. Share a time that you were disciplined by your parents that was painful then but, now looking back, you are really thankful that they did it. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • How have your children responded to hearing the gospel and seeing you live it out? What practices can you do as a family to foster a Christlike environment in your home? • Are there any challenges that are weighing down your children as they pursue God’s purpose for them? Speak a word of encouragement and assurance to them this week. • After hearing today’s lesson, what are some ways you can discipline your children without becoming too tolerant or overbearing? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His saving and sanctifying grace that restores and renews us even in our shortcomings. Thank Him that we can extend the same grace towards our children. • Ask God to continue empowering you and your children to live for His purposes according to His grace. Pray that God’s word would be the foundation your family can stand on. • Pray for God’s grace to discipline your children and for them to view it as an act of love. Pray that even the way you discipline your children would demonstrate the gospel to them.

Basic Principles in Training Children

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣 • Share an unforgettable time you had with your parents when you were young. • What is one of the greatest lessons you learned from your parents? Why? • What activity do you enjoy doing with your children? Why do you enjoy it so much? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 “𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘖 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴.” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟰-𝟵 Oftentimes, as parents, we ask ourselves whether we are doing what is expected of us in our role as parents. We can be unsure if what we are teaching our kids is correct and if our children will be who God wants them to be. Such uncertainty can be addressed by understanding our primary responsibility as parents and what we are to teach our children first. This passage shows that we are to teach our children to believe in and love God above everything else. Jesus also emphasized this as the most important command and the cornerstone of all others (Matthew 22:36–40). As we teach these to our children, they will experience and understand that a relationship with God is based on love—not on rules of dos and don’ts. They will know more of God and how loving and faithful He is. They will then learn to rely on Him rather than on us as their parents or anyone else. As they grow in their knowledge of Him, they will grow in their love for and trust in God. But how do we teach our kids to love God with all of their soul, mind, and strength, and to trust in Him more than anyone else? Here are three ways we can teach these to our children: 𝟭. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵.” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟲 It can be said that the phrase “more is caught than taught” is true for children, as they learn from us. This means that they gain more insights from what we do and model rather than what we say. It is for this reason that if we want to teach our children about loving God, then we are to be good examples in this area. If we want to impart to them the love for God’s word, our kids need to see that we read and live out His word in our lives. If we want them to honor God and learn to trust God in their finances, we are to show our kids that we give generously. We are to show them that we love, prioritize, worship, honor, and trust God. These have to start with us so we can pass them on to our children. Have your recent actions been good examples to your children? What is their response to your actions? 𝟮. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦.” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟳 We are to be intentional about teaching our children to love God. Such things require careful consideration and planning, not just waiting for them to happen. As a matter of fact, we are encouraged to repeat these truths and drill them into the lives of our children until they know them by heart. Though teaching them could be structured in some way, it does not have to be rigid. What matters is that it becomes a way of life rather than just something they do on Sundays. Teaching can happen both formally and informally. We can have devotions over breakfast, sit-down or heart-to-heart sessions, or meaningful conversations before sleeping. We can also look for opportunities and teaching moments when we are shopping, falling in line to buy food, having their hair cut, or even when we are in traffic. Every moment is a learning opportunity for our children. What is your favorite pastime with your children? How can you use it to teach your children about God? 𝟯. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴.” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟴-𝟵 As parents, we are to make sure that our homes provide a loving and nurturing atmosphere for our children. Though learning can take place anywhere, it is inside our home where we have control on what our children are exposed to. If we want them to grow in their knowledge of God, our home must be filled with things that will build faith and remind them of God. Do they see the Bible at home? Do they hear worship songs being played every day? Are there books, memory verses, or even posters on our walls that would remind them of God and His love for them? Thus, the four corners of our homes provide not just the space that our children need, but also opportunities and lessons that point them to God and His faithfulness. Is your child a tactile learner, a visual learner, or an auditory learner? Knowing this, how can you help your child be reminded of God in your home? We are given much time to spend with our children. We are to use such moments to teach our kids about loving God and trusting Him. No matter what season of life they are in or how old our children are, we are to raise and teach them to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength as they grow into the men and women that God has prepared for them to be. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • In what aspect of teaching your children do you want to improve? • How can you apply the truths we discussed this week in order to teach your children about loving God? • What is one area you want your children to grow in? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for the privilege of raising godly children and becoming a good example for your children to follow. • Ask God to help you raise your children in His ways. Pray that your actions would model His character and your life would be a good example they will learn to follow. • Pray and declare that your family would honor and follow God above all else. Ask God for practical ways your children can be reminded of His goodness and faithfulness every day.