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Over the course of our lives we may hold different jobs and fulfill many different roles, but the Bible makes one thing clear: the moment we become parents, raising children who know and love the Lord becomes our most important mission in life.
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. – Proverbs 22:6
It’s never too early to let our kids know that they have a Heavenly Father and a Savior who loves them. One reason that Timothy – the young pastor who the Apostle Paul encourages in 1 and 2 Timothy – acquired a truly transformative faith at such an early age is because his mother and grandmother shared the gospel of Jesus and the Holy Scriptures with him from the time he was an infant.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 3:14-15
Ideally, we should begin planting, nourishing, and cultivating the seeds of our children’s faith in their hearts from the moment our kids are born. However, if our spiritual journey with God began later in our kid’s life, it’s perfectly fine to start right there!
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. – Deuteronomy 6:6-9
The spiritual environment we create within our homes, the spiritual disciplines that we practice, and the spiritual fruit that we exhibit each day in our own lives plays an important role in our children’s spiritual development.
Have you ever noticed how our children are like sponges? Kids naturally observe and absorb everything around them! It’s up to us to make sure that the things they take in from their environments are healthy, not harmful. Here’s a few ways we can set the stage for our children’s spiritual growth, especially while they are young:
- Let’s pray regularly over our homes and ask God to help us create an environment where safety is experienced, love is spoken and lived out, and peace is ever-present.
- Let’s monitor what comes into our kids’ environment – whether it’s in the form of physical items or sights and sounds on the TV, radio, or internet – so that we create and maintain a spiritually clean environment at all times.
- Let’s fill our space with books, music, photographs, artwork, and decor that remind us of God’s goodness, grace and overflowing love.
- Let’s create a warm, friendly and hospitable environment where family, friends and guests of all ages can safely gather to enjoy life, to comfort and encourage one another, and to glorify and praise God.
- Let’s commit to creating many happy memories in our homes! Let’s pray with our children morning, noon and night. Let’s teach them songs of worship to sing to the Lord throughout the day and listen to Christian radio. Let’s read them bedtime stories from the Bible every night so they’ll grow up knowing all about Jesus and how much He loves them!
Teaching our kids about God is rewarding because we want them to be blessed by God, to spend eternity in Heaven with Him, and to use the gifts He has given them in this season of their lives!
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. – Psalm 8:2
One of the best ways we can share the gospel with our children is through stories. The Beginner’s Bible: Jesus Loves The World is the perfect book to introduce young children to the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. In this book, young readers will learn about Jesus’ miracles and teachings, His return to the world, and His promises to come back again one day.
With short, simple text, this board book will connect children to the greatest story of all.
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Your Turn
What’s your best tip for sharing Jesus with your kids? Please share your ideas with us in the comments!