If our children are at peace, our world will be at peace.
As parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children how to live the kingdom life, and how to create harmony in their relationship with Christ leading to a victorious life. Give them the Peace of God in their lives.
Paul told the Philippians to keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me-everything you hard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4::9 NLT
Most of us have not felt the true peace God offers until we are much older, some never feel the peace. I was in my early 60’s the first time I felt the calmness, serenity, and peace. It was a moment when words cannot accurately define the experience. I was halfway through my life which caused me to think, if I experienced this ‘peace’ when I learned this scripture when I attended Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or as a young adult in Bible Study, and it was explained as a reality, a state experienced in prayer, what direction would my life have taken? Granted I know there is a time and season for everything, but imagine – the experience of true peace as a youngster. Empowered with the armor and peace would end youthful fears. And, if I had experienced true peace, would my path had differed about how I maneuvered through my career because I was not rattled by the norms of daily events and decision-making? Would I have been a different wife and a different type of leader?
That was
Christians do not have to wait to become adults to feel the peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7). As parents, we can teach our children how to deliberately live their lives as Christians put on the Armor of God, become Christian Warriors, rest in the Word, and experience the peace that is greater than our understanding (Philippians 4:7).
Let’s teach our children what Philippians 4:7 means to them. We can give them the greatest gift ever in life, a life of greater understanding of the Word and how to apply it in their daily lives.
The previous lessons thought our children that their behavior and character should imitate Christ. They learned that the Armor of God is something they wear to protect themselves. They are beginning to understand what defines a true friend. Now we want to empower them to focus on their relationship with Christ and live a harmonious, peaceful life.
Attaining peace will be accomplished through knowing God’s purpose in their life. They will understand why they should not accept lifeless rituals and instead establish their relationship with God by hosting the Holy Spirit in their being.
We must teach our children to think about what brings peace and contentment into their lives. If they accept the character of Christ as their own character, they are well on their way to experiencing peace. The characteristics in effect serve as tools to keep them from becoming ‘followers.’ They will be less likely to succumb to bullying and question the difference between right and wrong when their friends want them to join in doing something that creates an uneasy, queasy feeling in them. Being grounded in the Word offers them peace. They will not worry or fret about what other people think. They will not be intimidated by peers. As children, they may feel some uncertainty, but they will know their moral compass always points north.
Training of this type is paramount in our children’s lives. It is easy to learn a scripture, but difficult to know how to apply the scripture as part of the daily practice of life, this requires regimen.
The way to train your children is the same method shared throughout my posts,
- read the scripture to them
- have them read or recite the scripture with you
- explain the scripture to them
- read the scripture at bedtime and share its meaning one more time
- the next morning ask them about the scripture and to apply the scripture at school
- when they come home from school discuss it with them and ask if they applied it during the day, how and what was the outcome
- pray that they receive the word and embrace it as a life practice
Over time it will take root in their daily activities.
Continue to discuss other Bible scriptures pointing out how people were or were not living their lives like Christ, highlighting the instances where people did behave like Christ.
The peace of God is an expected result when you imitate the characteristics of Christ. The peace is the calm you feel when you surrender to God. Surrendering to God is learning to live as the Bible commands and living a life of faith.
Adults generally subjugate children to storytelling and not bible study. They do not feel children can understand the Bible. I think that children begin school at age five. They are developmentally able to discern and learn. If children can learn subjects in school, can learn how to conduct themselves in a social setting, then they can learn what the stories in the Bible mean in their daily lives. They are smart. Do not think that they are too young to understand the Word. The most important time in their lives are the early years when they begin to define their character traits and become a person. It is important that this developmental stage of social development is concurrent with their scriptural development.