Little Parenting Habits for Big Faith in Your KidsChikamu

Who has the toughest job?

As parents, we can often feel like we’re not good enough or equipped enough to actually teach our kids to follow God. After all, we don’t have it all figured out, and most of us have never even gone to Bible college!

Here’s the good news: discipling our kids (or anyone else) is not a job we’re supposed to handle on our own, in our own power. In one of my favorite verses in the book of Acts, Peter and John have been brought in front of the religious leaders to be questioned about a healing they’d done. Acts 4:13 shows us that, even though Peter and John were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures, they were men who had been with Jesus, and that made all the difference.

What changed these guys from normal dudes into powerful Christians who helped build the early church? It wasn’t more education—it was Jesus. Spending time with Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit was enough to turn them into powerhouses. Jesus said that He is the vine and we’re the branches, and apart from Him we can’t bear spiritual fruit. But with Him, we can produce amazing Spiritual fruit. You don’t need to have attended Christian school, read the whole Bible, or obtained a seminary degree to be qualified. Just like with the early disciples, it’s not what you know but Who you know that matters.

If you’re still feeling uncertain and unqualified, here’s something important to remember: The Apostle Paul knew his ability to preach the Gospel wasn’t because he was qualified on his own. He knew his qualifications came from God, who had enabled him and his coworkers to preach and teach about Jesus all over the world. If Paul felt unqualified, it’s no wonder we feel unqualified, too. But God worked through Paul to spread the gospel in all sorts of ways and places—which means God can use you to spread the gospel effectively in your own home. As you intentionally abide in Jesus as a family through the little habits you create, God will work in your child’s life to grow good, lasting fruit. ‘’

PRAYER:

God, thank You that I don’t need a certain level of qualifications to talk about You with my child. Thanks for making me qualified as I walk this journey with You. Help me, in Your power and as I stay connected to You, to bear much fruit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.