Little Hearts Captured by the Love of Jesus
We want our kids to obey. Though we should desire nothing less, we really should desire so much more. I pray that as a parent you do not just want to have perfectly obedient children, but children whose hearts are captured by the love of Jesus.
In Mark 10, the rich young ruler kept the law from his youth, but when Jesus lovingly revealed his true heart’s motivations, he went away sorrowfully instead of embracing the call to follow Christ. Though the passage says that Jesus loved him, he did not love Jesus.
If children wrongly believe that obeying God’s word will earn favor or merit with God they will be like the rich young ruler who’s actions seemed good but who’s heart was not.
We should teach children to obey scriptural commands and principles. The laws of God are not bad, they are good, they show God’s character. Because our children will continually fail at obeying, we as parents can continually point them to Jesus who did live out the law perfectly. We will have to do the hard heart work of showing the scriptures to our children and allowing the Spirit to reveal their idols. We must pray that God works in their lives, because He is the only one who can change their hearts.
As parents we too need to continually learn about Jesus and his perfectly sinless life. We will see the contrast between Him and us... our humbling response should be like that of the apostle Peter, to fall down to our knees and cry out “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” and worship Him. Like Peter, John the Baptist also felt completely unworthy to even unlatch Jesus’s sandals.
His perfect holiness is a stark contrast to our wretched ways. We must repent of our sins, understand his overwhelming love for us, a love that gave His life in place of ours, and this will change our whole world. If we believe and accept the good news, not just for our justification, but for His continual work of sanctification in our lives, it allows the Spirit to work good works out through us.
When this truth of God’s absolute perfect grace, mercy and love for us encapsulates our hearts and our children’s hearts, only then can we be followers of Christ who want to obey all of Jesus’s commands.
My children are still quite small, but my heart’s prayer is that God will work in their hearts and use whatever means necessary to draw them to Himself. I want to be an instrument to display the love of Christ to them and point them to Jesus who satisfies.