[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] Brenda Walshed devotion

Wed Apr 7 14:26:04 UTC 2021

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Just Love Them
Raising children to love Jesus is the most challenging and yet the most important responsibility a parent will face. No one will tell you it’s easy. You can be sure that Satan will be there constantly putting up roadblocks to entice your children to turn their backs on God. It takes Holy Spirit wisdom to lead, guide, and direct them in the right direction. But there are no perfect parents and no perfect children. Parents can do everything in their power to raise their kids right, but at the end of the day, as young adults, it still comes down to their choice as to whether or not they want to follow Christ. You can’t force someone to love God . . . not even the children you raise. It’s heartbreaking to see parents sitting in church pews all alone because their children are grown and have closed the door on anything religious. It is especially sad for them knowing their grandchildren don’t even know who Jesus is. The blame game sends them into a depression, wishing they had been better parents, had done a better job raising their kids, and on and on. But the truth is, even if they had morning and even worship every day, sent their children to church school, and had been a perfect example of Christ for their children to see, that’s still no guarantee that their kids would be in the church. It comes down to choice. God has given each one the gift of choice. He doesn’t want you to love Him because He “makes” you, but rather because you “want” to love Him. The best thing that you can do to witness to your adult children is to love them and pray for them! That’s right–just show them God’s love! Don’t nag them, tell them all the things they are doing wrong, or try and guilt them into giving their hearts to God. None of that will work–it will only drive them further away. Only the Holy Spirit can convict hearts, so keep praying for your children–and don’t stop praying. The Bible says in Isaiah 49:25, “For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children.” Remember, God will continue to honor your prayers long after you have gone, and you can be comforted knowing that Jesus loves your children even more than you do. TEXT: Ephesians 4:29, Jeremiah 31:16-17, Philippians 1:6, Colossians 3:21

Bible Texts:
Ephesians 4:29 NKJV - Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 

Jeremiah 31:16-17 NKJV - Thus says the LORD: "Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the LORD, That your children shall come back to their own border. 

Philippians 1:6 NKJV - being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 

Colossians 3:21 NKJV - Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

© Brenda Walsh Ministries www.brendawalsh.com

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