Financial Discipleship - the Bible on Eternal FocusSample

Once we have successfully focused our eyes on the eternal, there is one final challenge to seeing it through. We must persevere.

My wife Erica reminded me of this one night after an especially tough day with the kids. I don’t remember the details, but they had joined forces and fought against some basic requests I had made. It could have been brushing our teeth, taking baths or showers, putting on pajamas, changing underwear twice in the same week (heaven forbid), consuming vegetables at dinner, or any other things we battle as parents every day. But on this day, I surrendered. Erica asked me what happened and why they weren’t doing what we normally require. I don’t remember any of the details except for the simple conversation. I said, “I’m tired of fighting them over this. It’s not worth it.”

Her response was a stark reminder of the calling of a parent. She said simply, “Yes, it is.”

She was right. I had lost my focus on the eternal. In that moment of frustration, I took my eyes off why we do what we do and require what we require. Whenever I’m tempted to give up, temporarily or permanently, I remember her words and God’s promises.

So far, none of what we’ve covered in this book is easy, but it is absolutely worth it. Imagine for a moment your kids growing into adults who fully and freely serve God. Adults who glorify God in all they do. With their time, their talents, and their money. As a parent, the only thing better than hearing Jesus say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master,” will be hearing Jesus say it to our kids.

The same things that tempted Jesus tempt us, and the same things that tempt us will tempt our children. By training them to anticipate these temptations, to identify the lies of Satan when they hear them, and to bring their focus back to the eternal, we offer them an incredible advantage in their lives.

Recognizing that God owns it all is a hard pill to swallow. Surrendering it all back to Him demands humility and trust. Aligning our spending to God’s priorities requires significant compromise.

Choosing God over money necessitates discipline. Teaching our children to do the same will take incredible patience. But it’s worth it!

In those moments of our lives when we want to give in or give up — the moments when we want to take the easy way out — we need to think about that moment when our kids stand before Jesus, with us in the background, and hear those amazing words, “Enter into the joy of your Master.”

(excerpt taken from Financial Discipleship for Families: Intentionally Raising Faithful Children, Brian C. Holtz, 2023)