As my wife and I hope to grow our six kids with grace and send them with gospel, there are six ongoing practices we emphasize. I will share those with you in an ebook later this year as well as in a series of posts come August or September. Meantime, there are three gospel truths we try to cultiavte into their heads and hearts at all times. And we try to remember them ourselves as parents. For in believing these and in keeping on believing these, the gospel takes roots and blossoms “on earth as it is in heaven” into our home and through our lives.
Hopefully, these are three truths you have been cultivating into the heads and hearts of your kids. If not, today’s a good day to start! 🙂
1 _ You are fully loved.
The gospel of Jesus is the good news that God came near before we said sorry and before we asked for help. Why? Because He loves. No matter what you think of God, it is nailed down what He thinks of us – graciously, you and I are worth dying to Him. !
2 _ You are securely loved.
This gospel now identifies us. We are not lost and alone. We do not have to be afraid. We are not condemned. Why? Because if we believe in the One who was sent, then we can cease striving to earn God’s to-be-given love and instead believe and live in His already-given love. We are secure in Christ. And because you are now identified with Jesus, because I am identified with Jesus, even on my worst day and in my worst moment, I am still “Jason, in Christ.”!
3 _ You are compelled by love.
Because we are fully loved, we are fully secure. We are filled up, not needing to search for ways to be filled but able to pour out our lives that others might be filled. He loved us first (1st John 4:7-11). He identifies us as sent ones believing in the Sent one (John 20:21). His loving us first compels us to go love first, in hopes that others will believe in the One who was sent (John 6:29).
Jesus, please grow us as parents in wisdom to teach like you taught and to emphasize what you emphasized. We are grateful for Your love.
parenting SENT kids 