Joining God’s Activity in Your Children’s Lives
Memory verse: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. And all the more, as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Not everyone will be married or have children. For those to whom God entrusts them, children are a special assignment as well as a reward from the Lord. Wise parents understand that God has a special purpose for each child He gives to them, and they should carefully watch to see where God is at work in their lives.
God has a unique purpose for each life and God determines that purpose before we are born. Just as God intended for Jeremiah to be His prophet before he was born, God has purposes for each of us. The apostle Paul identified one of God s eternal purposes for every person: “Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29-30). God’s eternal purpose for each of your children is that they be conformed to the image of Christ. If they are willing and responsive, God will draw each of your children into a unique love relationship with Him. He will speak to your children and will use the circumstances in their lives to fashion them into Christlikeness.
There are several ways you can join in God’s activity in your children’s lives:
Pray with and for your children. Prayer is not primarily for us to tell God what we want Him to do for our children. It is for God to adjust our lives so we can be God’s instrument in their lives.
Talk with your children about God’s activity. Parents talk to their children about numerous things, but no topic is as important as discussing God’s activity in their lives. Deuteronomy 6:6-9,20-25 instructs parents to regularly talk with their children about God’s activity. Parents should rehearse with their children God’s acts throughout their family history. Parents ought to recount to their children how they met Christ personally, how God led them to be married, how God guided them in their careers, how God led them to their church, and how God has walked with them through the years. Parents should point out to their children God’s ongoing activity in their lives, so they learn to recognize God’s activity for themselves.
Minister with your children. One of the greatest joys as parents is to be able to minister alongside your children. I know families who go on mission trips together every year. Some families openly discuss their family budgets and decide as a family what causes beyond the support of their local church they will contribute to that year. Many of history’s greatest missionaries and ministers were taught as children to be on mission with God.
It’s never too late to start
Look at this list and then, as a family, decide on one (or more) projects that you can do as a family:
Visit someone in a nursing home or a hospital or a shut-in at home
Assist a widow or a senior adult with yard work or home repairs
Serve a meal in a local rescue mission or homeless shelter
Participate in a mission trip or local mission project
Train for and participate in disaster relief
Prayer walk your neighborhood or city and pray for people you encounter
Lead or participate in a worship service in a park, campground, assisted-living facility, etc.
Prepare and deliver a meal to a grieving family or someone who has recently returned from the hospital
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