Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
What does it look like to teach our kids the most important thing—loving Jesus?
As godly parents, our primary goal for our kids isn’t just good behavior or good grades. It’s helping them find and follow Jesus for a lifetime.
But this requires that they come to know Jesus personally, not just be exposed to Him regularly.
There’s a big difference between reaching their head and reaching their heart.
We can make our kids follow Jesus at a “head” level while they’re under our roof. But rules, routines, and Sunday mornings can only take you so far.
However, following Jesus on their own, for life, means helping them experience Him at a heart level.
Because experiencing Jesus for themselves makes all the difference in the world for the rest of their lives.
So how do we actually do this?
Here are two reminders:
The Word of God: Help them interact with the Bible daily. Do this together as a family, but also help them develop their own daily habit of engaging with Scripture. Raising kids who love Jesus starts with them learning to love being with Him, not just learning about Him.
The Spirit of God: Teach them how to listen to and obey the voice of God for themselves (Read more here). Nothing will serve them better for the rest of their lives than knowing how to hear and follow the daily leading of the Holy Spirit. If our kids learn to develop an ear for listening to God, we’ve given them a lifelong gift of wisdom far greater than anything we could offer on our own.
Raising godly kids hinges on having godly parents. So, how are you doing at exemplifying these two things?
Are the Word of God and the Spirit of God visible, active parts of your everyday life, the kind your kids can actually see?
This week, what’s one way you could grow together with your kids, either loving the Word of God more, or listening to the Spirit’s voice better?
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* Here’s a simple verse and discussion questions your family can use together this week:
Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Family Discussion Questions:
- What’s one thing the Bible has helped guide you through recently, even something small? (Helps your kids see Scripture as practical, not just a book of rules.)
- If God’s Word is like a “lamp” or “light,” what happens when we forget to turn it on? (This is a simple, visual way for younger kids to understand why daily time in the Word matters.)
- This week, what’s one small step we could take as a family to spend more time in God’s Word together? (This turns the conversation into action… maybe it’s reading a verse at dinner, praying before bed, or starting a simple family devotional.)
Simple Family Activity Idea: Grab a flashlight and turn off the lights in a room. Ask your kids to try to find something across the room in the dark, then turn the flashlight on and try again. Use this as a visual reminder: “That’s what God’s Word does for us. It lights the way so we don’t have to stumble around trying to figure life out on our own.”
