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How Children in the Next Generation Become Spiritually Minded
How Children in the Next Generation Become Spiritually Minded…
Training children in “the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4) is a blessing in every generation and meets challenges in every generation. God loves the little children of the world. God loves the parents of those little children of the world. Preparing a child with the godliness and faith they need is an opportunity for a parent.
The first way to help a child become spiritually minded is giving them the first commandment in Matthew 22:37. “Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind”. You can give them the “NO” commands and the “SHARE” and “THANK YOU” guidelines for relationship, but LOVE is the greatest value on earth. Letting them know love is not a feeling but an attitude of choice giving them appreciate for all God provides you and your child every day. There are so many children who love self more than they love God, because of how much they are given, have the right to have, or scream until they get what they want. A child needs to know love is giving self to God to enjoy what life gives him/her.
The second avenue of spiritually guide a child is Read Scripture. Learning to read is a key value every parent wants to see in their child. Writing is possibly the next learned endeavor. I know reading Psalm 119 is not the first assignment a parent gives a child, but it is inside that chapter where a child can see the value of the word of God. The priority of scripture reading must come from the parent. If we appreciate the excellence of scripture, a child can learn to read it and prize its need for wisdom, help, comfort, guidance, and hope. Letting a children read Psalm 1 and know the Bible helps guide their heart in friendship choices is planting a spiritual seed.
The next generation of spiritually minded children should Let Actions be Consistent with Words. One matter of character many children want to acquire is trust. They want a parent and others to trust them. They like freedom to build a fort, paint a picture, mow the grass, or drive a car. Those trusting times from a parent or any adult comes from children understanding these words: Responsibility. Commitment. Integrity. Truth. Faithfulness. Self-Control. Some of these words appear in the list of fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23). These words are actions supporting who a child loves first and hearing from scripture who God wants them to be. Since hypocrisy is such a recognized, negative stain upon the heart of a child, every child should learn respect from others comes from consistency in their own life first. If you say it, mean it. If you stand for what’s right, live by it. “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37).
