HE CHOSE YOU!
I was looking at my kids, and a wave of emotion washed over me. I am so in awe of them….these funny, smart, creative, kind, and loving little people. And it hit me, I can’t believe that I GET to be their mom! I can’t believe that I get this opportunity to have this up-close observation of these two little humans. It is extraordinary, entirely humbling, and overwhelming all at the same time! GOD chose me to be their mom.
And God chose YOU! It is no accident that God tasked YOU with one of the most important jobs on this earth…caring for another human being. He knew that you were the perfectly imperfect person. It is impossible to be perfect parents, but it is possible to be used through the power of God when we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.
We have been given an amazing gift to help us through this journey as parents. We have been given the greatest guidebook for life…and that is the Bible. The Bible is the Living Word of God, made up of 66 books written by men who were prophets and wise men.
If we want to be used through the power of God, we need to first make sure we understand some foundational truths of what God’s Word says. We need to understand that God is the creator of everything. He created you and me. He created us with free will.
We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Because we have sinned, we are separated from God. The good news is that Jesus (God in the flesh) came to the earth, born as a baby through a virgin mother. He lived a perfect life and died on the cross as the sacrificial lamb to pay the price for our sins. This gift is the gift of salvation!
(Scripture References: Genesis 1:1-31, Luke 9:23, John 3:16, John 1:12, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:8-9)
There is one critical thing that each one of us must do, and that is to respond to this truth. Each of us needs to make the decision to believe this for ourselves. Just because our parents believed this doesn’t make it our truth. Our faith is an individual decision and action that we need to own, just as our children will need to do.
If you haven’t done this already, you can respond to this truth, by taking the following steps:
- Consider carefully the choice to follow Jesus. When you choose to follow Jesus, you leave your old ways behind; you no longer live for yourself or for the world; you live a life of worship and honor to Him. (Luke 9:23)
- Recognize that you are a sinner and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
- Confess your sins with repentance. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- Confess that Jesus is the son of God. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
- Commit your life to following Jesus. Put your trust in Him as your Lord and Savior. (Romans 10:9-11)
The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” God chose you to be your child’s first teacher. You have an opportunity to impart one of the greatest gifts to your children. That is to teach them the ways of Jesus so that they themselves can fulfill the calling and purpose that God has for their life!
This is a Kingdom calling. To teach your child what it looks like to be a Jesus follower isn’t just the opportunity to change one person or your one child. This is an opportunity of much greater magnitude that can impact generations to come and change the trajectory of many lost souls for all eternity.
Will you join me? Let’s raise up this next generation together!
May God’s peace and blessing be on you and your family as you seek Him!
Links to Additional Resources:
Saddleback Church weekend services
The Anchored Life Challenge
Celebrate Recovery
Small Groups
Women’s Bible Studies
Men’s Groups
Drive Time Devotional
If you made a decision for the first time, re-committed your life to Jesus, or need any help in getting further connected with our church, we would love to hear from you! You can email us at parents@saddleback.com .
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