Reset for Parents by Todd Friel

Author:Todd Friel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FAM034000, REL012030
ISBN: 9781614580607
Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group, Inc.
Published: 2017-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

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1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2010, http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2010.htm, cf. also, Roman Catholic Catechism: 846, 1129, 1256, 1405, 1477, 1479, 1498, and many more.

2. http://www.theopedia.com/infused-righteousness.

Chapter 10

Prepare Your Child to Meet Other Suitors

Jesus is not a longing boyfriend who yearns to have a girl go on a date with Him. But He is a jealous God who desires that all people love Him (Exodus 34:13). That, after all, is the most loving thing He could possibly command.

That thought makes atheists howl, “Any god that wants to be the center of attention is a mega-maniacal dictator.” They couldn’t be more wrong.

A generous person does not give a loved one scraps. If we have genuine love for someone, we give them the very best. What is the best that God can give us? Himself. That makes the first two commandments very, very kind (Exodus 20:3–4).

When we love God, we love the best thing: when we love anything else, we love a lesser thing. When our affections are set on earthly pleasures, we are playing in a bathtub when there is an ocean before us. To find our purpose, pleasure, hope, delight, or comfort in anything but God, is to choose table scraps when we could enjoy a banquet.

God lovingly calls, “Stop playing in a cesspool and find true joy in Me.” Unfortunately, far too many kids see God as a lot of things (a grandpa in the sky, the Creator, a judge, the one who runs the world), but they rarely see Him as the most valuable thing worth pursuing harder than anything else.

When kids run off to university and hear the siren songs of alcohol, drugs, sex, cheating, and plagiarism, if a student does not already possess something that is superior to partying, he/she will be wooed to pursue sinful things that are fun for a season (Hebrews 11:25).

A child who grows up in a home where Jesus is not made much of, is poised to seek fleshly things that can provide more perceived pleasure. There are two things we should focus on to help our children treasure Jesus.

1. Show your children that Jesus is the best thing they can set their affections on.

2. Show them that seeking sin is like desiring dung (Philippians 3:8), or dog vomit (2 Peter 2:22), or poison (James 3:8; Psalm 140:3), or the stench from an open grave (Romans 3:13; Psalm 5:9). To give our affections to anything but Jesus is to play the whore (Hosea 1:2).

How exactly can we do that? Lots of ways!

Helping Our Kids Treasure Christ

It is wise and good to teach our kids about the wonderful attributes of God: His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability, holiness, compassion, wrath, etc. But the Bible was not written like a systematic theology textbook. The Bible can certainly be systematized, but God wants us to do more than study theology; He wants us to know Him and love Him as we see His attributes in action.

It is wise and good to have our kids memorize Bible verses. It is most excellent to catechize them.

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