Desiring The Best for Your Child

Matthew 19:14, Proverbs 22:6

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What do you want most for your child or children? Some might say that they want him or her to be happy. Some might say they want him or her to be a good person. Some might say they want them to be successful which probably starts with good grades in school. Some of them are sports minded parents might say they want them to excel at a certain sport, but are any of these the most important thing for your child?

Wouldn’t what you want most for your child be to see them in heaven with you someday? I know that’s what it would be for me. And Jesus wants to see them there as well. We read in Matthew 19 verse 14.

Let the little children come to me. Do not hinder them because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. (Matthew 19:14)

And this is where we can have our greatest impact as a parent. There is probably no one that you can reach better or influence more than your child. They are your own personal mission field you can say. And so how do we take advantage of this tremendous opportunity?

Well it begins with bringing our child to the waters of baptism. Baptism isn’t just a rite by which they become an official member of the church. Baptism is the power of God. It’s where God connects us to Jesus his life and his death and washes away our sins. It’s where God works faith in your child’s heart so they receive this forgiveness. And that’s where God adopts your child, claims them as his own, so that they are all God’s children and heirs of eternal life in heaven.

But our work doesn’t end there. We read in Proverbs 22 verse 6.

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he grows old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Having baptized our children we raise them up in the word, we take every opportunity to teach them God’s Word of Life which feeds their faith. We do this by leading them at home and family devotions. We regularly routinely bring them to church. And we bring them to Sunday school even as we attend bible study. We also show them the love and forgiveness of Jesus in our lives and in their lives. When they misbehave, yes, we scold them, but we also tell them that we love them and Jesus loves them and this is why he came to Earth is to win forgiveness for them and nothing will ever change this.

This is our hope as parents especially for the times that we fail. It’s our hope for children and it’s the hope of the world. What privilege we have to share this message of full salvation with the world and especially our children Amen.