Come together to pack Shoebox Gifts for Operation Christmas Child!
![Pack A Shoebox](https://spldecatur.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/OCC-2023-1080x675.jpg)
Submitted by Jennifer Power
The past three weeks, I have been writing suggestions for raising kids with a kind heart who love the Lord. In my final two posts on this series, I am focusing on spiritual disciplines – activities which position us to be transformed by God. It is important to both model and teach spiritual disciplines for/to your children.
Children learn by both observing and doing, so it is crucial for them to have spiritual role models and spiritual teachers. Parents (especially when children are young) can serve both these roles.
Spiritual disciplines include such activities as solitude, silence, prayer, fasting, study, worship, celebration, fellowship, serving, sacrifice, and simplicity.
Read the Bible, and you will see Jesus and His disciples engaging in all of these spiritual disciplines. We are to follow in Jesus’ example – after all, if Jesus needed to engage in these activities to do the work which was given Him by the Father, then certainly we must as well.
It can be difficult, however, to look to the Bible for examples of how to incorporate spiritual disciplines into the life of families with young kids as Jesus did not have children, and His closest disciples were not caring for children while they were with Him or on the subsequent missionary journeys of the Bible.
I will therefore now turn to each of the disciplines I mentioned above and suggest a few ways these can be incorporated into family life. Keep in mind, however, there are always stages of life, and while it might be ideal to be engaging in all these disciplines at all times of life, this is not always a reality for families with young children. This is not an excuse to replace spiritual disciplines with extra-curricular activities, excessive splurging, etc., but do understand that demands of family life might not always make it feasible to engage fully in all these spiritual disciplines at all times.
SOLITUDE: Solitude is perhaps the most difficult discipline for families with young children for obvious reasons.
Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Luke 6:12 “Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God.”
SILENCE: Silence combines well with Solitude.
1 Kings 19:12 “and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.”
PRAYER: I have spent time in previous posts discussing prayer but will add a couple more ideas.
Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
FASTING: One reason we fast is to learn discipline in areas we tend to lack self-control. We learn to rely on God rather than on food, money, entertainment, etc.
Deuteronomy 8:3 “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
STUDY: If we are to follow the Great Commission and “obey everything I have commanded you” we must know what Jesus (and the message of the Bible as a whole) teaches us.
Ecclesiastes 12:9 “Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.”
Next week, I will wrap up this series of posts on raising kids with kind hearts who love the Lord by giving suggestions of ways to incorporate worship, celebration, fellowship, serving, sacrifice, and simplicity into the DNA of your family. I pray God uses these suggestions for His glory as we join together in this most difficult (but crucial and rewarding) task of raising kids who have Kingdom hearts.
Additional Resources
*How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart, God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts, New Testament for Everyone Set by N.T. Wright (I actually have this one at my desk if anyone ever wants to borrow it)
Raising Kids who have a Kind Heart and Love the Lord
Raising Kids who have a Kind Heart and Love the Lord – Part Two
Raising Kids who have a Kind Heart and Love the Lord – Part Three
What are you quick to do? What are you slow to do? The Bible tells us exactly what we can be quick and slow to do by the power of the Spirit inside of us. Read about it in James 1:19-21
When we grumble, we reject joy. Grumbling puts us and our own expectations above the purposes of God. Instead, Paul gives us this challenge, “do everything without grumbling or arguing.” How? Read to find out.
Scripture is clear that it is by Jesus’ grace alone that we are redeemed and saved. Our works don’t earn us salvation. So, what exactly is Paul talking about in this passage from Philippians 2? Read more to find out.
0 Comments