The Insanity Of Discipleship


Often times as parents, we understand that we need to "train up a child." However, we may not really know what that looks like. Are we training them correctly, or too much? Should we just use the Bible, or use another resource? This may seem like hard questions to answer. God's Word never returns void. Using a devotional, Bible, etc. is better than choosing to not have family devotions at all.

It can be tempting to use family devotion time to address specific things that are currently happening in your home. For example: a child may not be obeying when you tell them to clean their room. Therefore, we need to them what obedience is. You gather the family together to make an announcement. "Hear ye, hear ye, God has lead me to teach on obedience for the next month." Even though that child may need to study obedience, it will make them hate family devotion time. We can't force revival to occur in our family. The consistent teaching of the deep truths of the God's living Word is what causes lasting change in our families.

Our children not only should see us opening up our Bibles, praying, going to church, and doing other forms of ministry, they also see how we are living it out at home. It is extraordinarily easy to put on a front when in public. As parents, if we do not live out what we say we believe, our kids will search for something else to believe in.

This lesson hit me like a ton of bricks when the news came out that I had a tumor in my right eye. On the way home, God, as clear as day, told me that my kids are going to watch to see how I react to this. The world teaches our children how to run from God. As Godly parents, we have to teach our kids how to run to God. The joy of the Lord must be my strength. At that moment, I realized that I did not have the luxury to get a little depressed. I couldn't get angry at God. If I do get angry at God, and that anger turns into depression, then I have lost a piece of my testimony.

From beginning to end, the Bible teaches us to completely rely on Him, even for salvation. This includes hard times. As parents, we must teach our kids that hard times do not justify us disobeying God's Word. Hard times is the time to shine the light of God the most. Parents living in complete reliance on God, even during hard times, will spur our kid's faith more than any other Sunday school lesson could ever do. 

Having this tumor gives me the opportunity to teach my kids that I truly love God in word and deed. Thank you God for this opportunity. God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.


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