Teach Them to Love Jesus
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5
We’ve taught our sons and daughters many things over the years, often by talking to them and repeating words and phrases and the truths of Scripture, but more often, by being an example to them. When we taught them how to tie their shoes, we didn’t just say it, we showed them- over and over, until they could do it themselves, and then we praised their efforts. We taught them how to be self-sufficient, mature, and how to live with integrity.
When it comes to teaching our sons and daughters the truths of faith, our words carry weight, but our example speaks more loudly. Friends, we need to live it out in front of them. Our words don’t have nearly as much impact as our actions, our attitudes, and the demonstration of our love and commitment to Jesus being lived out in our daily life. It cannot be “do as I say, not as I do”. They’re adults. They will do what they choose. But if we live out our faith, consistently, circumspectly, putting Jesus at the forefront, always, our lives will reflect His character and our actions will demonstrate our priority of faith. Because, if we’re honest, it’s not that we want our kids to do what we say…we want them to do what Jesus says.
Think back to your days in elementary school. Do you remember the lessons? Do you recall how you learned fractions or reading? It’s possible vague details will return, but if asked about your teacher, you would immediately begin to give a description of how your teacher interacted with you and made you feel important, seen, and valued. The teacher had a lot to say, but what impacted us was their character and actions toward us.
“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.” Philippians 3:12b-15
As we live out our Christian walk, are we investing more time and energy into words, or actions? Are we trying to convince others (especially our sons and daughters) that what we believe is right and true, or are we modeling it to them? We must be cautious because we can weary others by always trying to prove our point. Paul says “and if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.” Paul was assuring the Philippians that by pursuing the Lord, God would make clear what is right and true. It wasn’t up to Paul and the church to correct people’s thinking. Should we speak truth? Absolutely! Can we demand or pressure others to follow it.? Not so much. It’s a heart-decision that only the Holy Spirit can motivate.
Though our sons and daughters are grown, we still feel that burden to know that they are walking with the Lord. That burden may inspire us to speak a bit too much, press a little too hard, to try and sway their thinking. But friends, we are still teaching them when we interact with them by living out our faith. We demonstrate how to be a disciple when we consistently follow the Lord, pursue personal time with Him, memorize His word and obey His commands. We model what it means to love when we are patient, kind, unselfish, and forgiving (1 Corinthians 13). We show them the strength and humility that accompanies asking forgiveness when we apologize for saying what we shouldn’t or doing something hurtful. We are not above that, at any age.
Our interaction with them says more than our words ever could. It communicates that God is what is most important to us and we will always submit to Him, making Him the head, the Lord, and the Shepherd of our hearts. He is the One to whom we surrender all of ourselves, and that will be reflected in our life, so more than in our words. Take a moment to check yourself, is that what your life demonstrates? Could others testify to it… would they?
Model Jesus to your sons and daughters at every opportunity. Let your actions speak loudly and let the Holy Spirit do His work.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:3-5
Pray that they would love Jesus authentically and that He would be the foundation upon which they build their life.
Pray without ceasing.
A Call to Parents: Encouraging Our Sons & Daughters
“For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
We spend much time here at Join the PAC Prayer focusing on praying for our sons and daughters, but today we’re going to take a look at what God calls us to do as parents. What are we called to do? How can we do it well?
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to encourage them in their faith. Throughout the first and second chapters, Paul urged them to remain true and faithful. He instructed them on how they should live and commended them for what they did well. In chapter two, he explained his ministry motives along with those of Silas and Timothy and the nature of their instruction. Then he gave the statement in verses 11-12 and it’s here we need to pause and take time to ponder because Paul explained three key actions that exemplify how a father (a parent) should deal with his children, “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
Let’s dig deep and get a better understanding of what God encourages us to do as parents.
Encouraging: Parakaleo
The first thing Paul mentioned is that he, Silas and Timothy were encouraging the believers. The Greek word for encouraging is parakaleo. It means to call near or call to one’s side; to exhort, console and comfort; to strengthen and instruct; it means to call in a loud voice; it’s not a silent, behind-the-scenes cheering on (1).
There is more to encouraging our sons and daughters than just saying “Good job! I knew you could do it!” The word ‘parakaleo’ comes from two root words, ‘para’, meaning beside or near, having proximity to (2) and ‘kaleo’ which means to call by name (3). So when we’re encouraging our sons and daughters, we need to call them near, call them by name, take time to be present and to teach and comfort them. We must be focused on them, and strengthen them in those things that are uniquely their own needs- it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s personal. It requires our presence and our mindfulness towards them so that we’re focused and our encouragement stems from knowledge of the individual son or daughter and knowledge from Scripture.
Like a paramedic is a medical professional who comes near to the patient, calls them by name and tends to their needs, our encouragement must be parakaleo, near our sons and daughters, calling them by name and meeting their needs to encourage them to walk faithfully, understand God’s word accurately and remain true to their faith and commitment to God.
Comforting: Paramytheomai
The next thing Paul mentions is comfort. The Greek word for the act of comforting is paramytheomai, which means “to speak to, address one, whether by way of admonition and incentive, or to calm and console” (4). It’s another form of encouragement. Note the prefix ‘para’ is once again a part of the word. It requires coming alongside of another to accomplish the purpose at hand. Paramytheomai means we need to be present and choose to be near, whether in person or, if that’s not possible, in communication and prayer. It’s an active role and not just that of an observer. The other portion of the word, ‘mytheomai’ means to speak, tell a story, a narrative. Often this word was applied to the sharing of genealogies in Biblical times. Consider what is your family’s story and how your sons and daughters could learn from it. Some questions to consider:
What is the heritage that undergirds your family?
What stories of faith are held forth?
What mistakes were made that should not be repeated?
Maybe the heritage of faith began with you … How did you come to know Jesus and begin a personal relationship with Him?
How can your sons and daughters carry on the Godly legacy?
How can you comfort them with lessons from the past and encourage them to be true to God into the future?
Comfort and encouragement can come through the stories of others and out of our own experiences. Those stories should be carried and shared by parents to their children to stand as encouragement and be cautionary as well.
Urging: Martyomai
Finally, Paul urged the Thessalonians to live a life worthy of God. The word used for urging is ‘martyomai’, which means “to be a witness, testify, charge or give evidence, bear record.” (5) Yes, it is related to the word ‘martyr’, describing those who gave their life for their faith. They bore witness and held fast to the testimony of Christ, even to the end. Paul urged, testified and bore witness to the Thessalonians in an effort to encourage them and teach them to hold fast to their faith.
The root word is martys means “one who is mindful, obeys”. (6) It’s not only what Paul wanted the Thessalonians to do, but it was what he held fast to as he lived out his testimony before them. And it’s what we need to do as parents. We need to demonstrate obedience to God and be mindful of what He calls us to do so that our words and actions testify faithfulness to Him to our sons and daughters.
The encouragement, the comfort and the urging are all directed toward helping our sons and daughters live wisely and follow Christ faithfully, or as the King James Version says, “that ye would walk worthy of God” who calls them into His kingdom. Isn’t that one of our most fervent prayers for our sons and daughters? We want them to live a life that acts as an example to others that we are Kingdom bound, sons and daughters of the Most High, His heirs and dearly loved children.
But what does it mean to “walk worthy of God”? The word for walk in Greek is peripateo and it means “to occupy oneself, make progress and follow; to make one’s way and make use of opportunities.” (7) It’s more than just heading in a direction. It’s being cognizant of where one is going, making use of opportunities along the way and always being mindful of whom you are following and the direction in which you are headed. The prefix, peri, comes from a root word, peran, which means, “beyond, on the other side.” (8) It’s directional and locational. It indicates that this walk is more than just a stroll. It’s purposeful. It has a specific destination. It requires mindful participation.
But here’s the powerful part: the remainder of the word, pateo, has a profound meaning. Let’s look at the original wording from Strong’s Concordance. Pateo means, “to advance by setting foot upon, tread upon; to encounter successfully the greatest perils from the machinations and persecutions with which Satan would fain thwart the preaching of the gospel.”(9) Wow!! When we pray for our sons and daughters to walk worthy of God, we’re praying that they will encounter successfully the greatest perils, deceptions, schemes of Satan and will overcome! We pray that they will live out and speak the gospel in ways that will defeat Satan and his demons and will overcome the ‘dangers, toils and snares’ of this life because they’re directionally moving toward the ‘other side’- the Kingdom of God…and Satan will do anything and everything to keep them from it.
These two verses are so rich and so powerful!! It would be beneficial for us to meditate on these Scriptures this week as we pray for our sons and daughters. He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. We have the power of the Eternal God within reach. He hears the cry of His children and He does not let it go unanswered. Take time today to pray for encouragement, for comfort and to urge this next generation to live victoriously. Why not write these verses down and carry them with you this week, memorize them and meditate on them, they are powerful directives and timeless truths and God can and will use them mightily.
Pray without ceasing.
G3870 - parakaleō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3870/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G3844 - para - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3844/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G2564 - kaleō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2564/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G3888 - paramytheomai - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3888/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G3143 - martyromai - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3143/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G3144 - martys - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3144/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G4043 - peripateō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4043/kjv/tr/0-1/
G4012 - peri - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4012/kjv/tr/0-1/
G3961 - pateō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3961/kjv/tr/0-1/