Raising Your Children to Love Jesus Christনমুনা

Day 1: An Awesome Privilege and Responsibility

I can still remember the kick to my stomach. For the past nine months, I had known we were going to have a baby, but nothing prepared me for the day I saw this new person. Faith had become sight, and I was unprepared. The kick to my stomach came as I realized that this tiny little person had been entrusted to us to care for. But she was more than a baby; she was an eternal soul who would live forever and ever. On the way home that afternoon, I broke down in tears and prayed, "Oh God, show us how to do this."

Can you relate to those feelings? If you are a Christian, you can truly understand the awe-inspiring privilege and responsibility of parenting. God hasn't just given you a baby, but someone made in his image, designed to enjoy him and bring glory to him.

As intentional parents, we want to give our children the best we can. But what exactly is best? In light of eternity, the question is easy to answer. The gospel is best! More than anything, we want our children to know and love Jesus Christ.

Jesus sums up this call in what has been called the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. This commission is a call to reach out to our world, our towns, our neighborhoods, and our families. We are commanded to seek disciples across the oceans and across our dinner table. Our parenting goal is to raise our children to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

But many parents don't know how to disciple their children. You want to teach them to love and follow Jesus, but how do you do it?

That is exactly what we will cover in this devotional series, and this leads us to the first commitment of a disciple-making parent.

A disciple-making parent will make the Great Commission the North Star of their parenting.

In the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, one star constantly points the way north. The North Star remains constant for those journeying over the seas. For the Christian parent, the Great Commission is our North Star.

The first commitment of a disciple-making parent has nothing to do with our actions toward our child. It has to do with our hearts. Where are we aiming? After all, there can only be one first priority.

There will be many challenges along this parenting journey. We will be blown off course many times and need to readjust. But we will make it to our destination if we keep the Great Commission as the North Star of our parenting.

Maybe you say to yourself, "Who, me? Help them follow Jesus?" You can do this with the help of the Spirit of Christ and his church. That's what we will be covering in the next few days.

God has given these children for you to disciple. You are the best shepherd they could have! Christian parenting can be messy and inefficient, rewarding and frustrating, but it is profoundly glorious work. Trust the Lord to guide you in the process as you keep your eye on the North Star.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for the privilege of influencing these little ones. It is the hardest thing I have done. It is easy to be blown around by fear and guilt. Yet, I believe you have called me to this glorious task of shaping these souls. And I believe you will be with me in this journey. Forgive me for navigating by other stars—worldly successes or looking good for others. From this day forth, help me keep my eye on the North Star you want for our family. As I begin this study, equip me to make our home a place that shows off your glory. Equip me, I pray, to disciple these souls. In Jesus' name.