Author: Chet Bandy

I live in Bloomington, Illinois with my wife Shannon and 4 children. I grew up in Central Illinois with Lutheran roots. We moved to the area in 2011 and began attending Eastview Christian Church where I now lead a Small Group. It's been awesome to see God's plan for our lives and our growing thirst for knowledge of His Word and a closer relationship with Jesus through our move to Bloomington. Professionally, I'm a wealth management advisor with Northwestern Mutual.

Is God Enough?

Today’s reading is Hosea 11-13 and Matthew 19.

Question : “How big is too big of a house?”

Answer: “Just a little bit bigger than my house.”

Do you believe you are rich? You probably don’t, but if you put your income into this website, https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/how-rich-am-i, by worldly standards you likely are.

I’m sure I’ve shared this before, but a pastor I know shared a story of picking up a pastor from Africa at the airport who had never been to the US before. As they began to drive to their destination the pastor said he would pray for those in US. When the US pastor asked why perplexed, the pastor from Africa stated it was because Americans have everything they need and more, they don’t “need God.” Most of us don’t need to rely on Him for our next meal and our everyday things and then some.

Jesus states in Matthew 19:23 that only with difficulty does a rich person enter the kingdom of Heaven. By worldly and historical standards, that is you and me if you live in the US. It is easy to think we don’t need God when our physical needs are easily met without having to fully rely on Him. Jesus also challenges the rich young ruler to leave his possessions and follow Him in Matthew 19:21. The saddened young ruler walks away disappointed. What would we do if we were in his shoes? What do we do every day when Jesus is subtly whispering in our heart to let go of our worldly possessions and passions? Do we hold on too tight like the young man or do we give them away to His Kingdom and follow Him? Sadly, I know what I do.

I am inspired by the disciples who dropped everything to follow Him. I’m also inspired by the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41-44 where she gave 2 copper coins which were likely her last with the loss of her husband and his income leading Jesus to compliment her in comparison to the Pharisees who gave only the equivalent of their loose change.

I heard a past leader in our company speak and tell of a challenging time when her husband was killed in an accident, and she was about to lose her job for poor performance. She was at rock bottom and as she prayed she felt God asking her, “Am I enough?”

As we read about the rich young ruler today, and we reflect on our money, possessions, and passions we are holding onto too tight, this is a great question to ask ourselves, “If I lost it all, is God enough?”

More Jesus. More Faith.

Today’s readings are 2 Chronicles 24, 2 Kings 12, and Matthew 9. Our focus will be on Matthew 9.

What are you praying and asking God for right now? Do you believe it can happen? More importantly, you believe it will happen?

James 1:6-8 says…

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

God instructs us here to ask in faith. So, what is faith?

Here is what Hebrews 11:1 says faith is..

 1To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.

Are you sure of things you hope for and certain of things you can’t see? I wish as a Christ-follower I could consistently say yes.

In Matthew 9 we see 5 miracles Jesus performed with all 5 of them showing the person who the miracle was performed for or someone close to them showing faith.

  1. Jesus Heals a Paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8) – A paralytic was brought to Jesus by his friends, and it specifically states Jesus healed him when he saw their faith in verse 2.
  2. Jesus Heals a Ruler’s Daughter (Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26) – The ruler came to Jesus with his daughter dying and explicitly tells Jesus he knows she’ll live if Jesus lays hands on her in verse 18.
  3. Jesus Heals a Woman with Blood Discharge (Matthew 9:20-22)- The woman had this problem for 12 years but states in verse 21 that if she just touches his cloak only..she believes she will be well.
  4. Jesus Heals Two Blind Men (Matthew 9:27-30) – Jesus actually asks them if they believe he’s able help them see, and they say yes.
  5. Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak (Matthew 9:32-34) – This one is a little more obscure but we see in verse 32 that the man was brought to Jesus. He wouldn’t have been brought to Jesus if someone didn’t believe Jesus could and would heal him.

There are 2 common denominators in these miracles. The first is Jesus. How many times do we pray for things but then not involve him and try to do it ourselves? The 2nd common denominator is the faith that the miracle would be done. How many times do we pray for something without being sure God will do it?

What do our prayer requests need? More Jesus. More faith.

Hide and Seek

Today’s readings are 2 Chronicles 15-16, 1 Kings 16, and Philemon.

This last week our kids have been playing a lot of hide and go seek. They may go months without playing, but then all of the sudden they get really into it again. I must say they are improving from a few years back when Hudson was about 2 and Reese was about 5, and I go upstairs after counting to find Hudson in the hallway pointing and saying, “Reesey’s in the closet!” I always know these days when I come home from work that they have been playing when my closet is in disarray and if I go in theirs and it is the same.

I couldn’t help but think of this when reading about King Asa in 2 Chronicles 15-16. King Asa was a descendant of David and the 3rd king of the southern kingdom of Judah after the divide of Israel my brother, Chad, gave us some background on Monday (https://www.biblejournal.net/2024/07/22/seeking-counselo/).  While he is generally thought of a good king who was “wholly true to God” (2 Chronicles 15:17) and who worked to destroy the idols of Israel (2 Chronicles 15:8), even removing his mom from being queen mother for her idol worship, King Asa unfortunately made some mistakes later that did not please God.

First, despite the fact that Asa called on God to help him defeat the Ethiopians and Libyans, he did not call on God when there was a threat from Baasha, king of Israel. He instead took silver and gold from the temple and gave it to Ben-hadad, king of Syria, to try to help build an alliance with them for assistance. God understandably wasn’t too pleased that he both took riches from His temple, as well as turned to another earthly king for help instead of Him.  Not only did he make some mistakes in anger after being called out on his folly, but the final mistake Asa made in his last days was that after becoming sick and diseased in his feet, he still turned only to physicians and not to the Lord for healing.

Asa, although a godly man, stopped seeking the Lord and he didn’t finish well. So, my question to myself is, am I seeking the Lord in everything and always? Are my “closets” in disarray because I’m so diligently and actively seeking Him? Or am I just hiding…or maybe seeking other things instead of Him?

The good news is that God knew even good people who love Him would make mistakes, and He sent us Jesus to die on the cross to forgive us. And also we are told here in this same chapter…

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the earth, to give strong support for those whose heart is blameless toward Him.”

2 Chronicles 16:9a

Whether or not we are seeking Him, He’s always seeking us and ready…even when we don’t realize it. And when we learn from Asa’s mistakes and seek Him, we have His strong support. What an awesome thing to find strength, hope, and peace in.

Let us all say today, “Ready or not Lord…here I come!”

 

In God We Trust

Today’s reading is 2 Chronicles 5-7, Psalm 121, and 1 Timothy 4.

The year 2024 is an election year…in case you haven’t noticed. This brings much angst about what the future of our country will look like because 4 years seems like a long time until the next one, and it’s not just the presidency that matters, but also the House and Senate and other state and local elected officials. While I’ve written other posts in the past on this topic and about the fact that the true leader and king and one who is really in control never served a public office, and at the same time, the Bible does give us warnings about what happens when a nation turns their back on Him which we must take notice of. We read this here in 2 Chronicles 7 when Solomon finishes and dedicates the temple his Father David had a vision for which Solomon completed.

First though, He tells us what good occurs when a nation follows Him…

13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

2 Chronicles 7:13-15

On the flip side, here is the warning when a nation doesn’t follow Him….

19 “But if you[a] turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you[b] up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”

2 Chronicles 7:19-22

This is a stark warning that should cause us all to raise our eyebrows a little bit, say to ourselves, “Whoa!”, and take notice. As we move to our New Testament reading of 1 Timothy 4, the title of the beginning of the chapter in my Bible is “Some Will Depart from Faith” and it begins…

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

1 Timothy 4:1-2

Sadly, this sounds all too familiar as we see the people of this nation turning their back on God and His Word. God gives each one of us the freedom and choice individually as to whether we want to follow Him. And I believe we should give every individual in this country the freedom of whether or not they want to follow God. No one should be forced, and yet the Scripture is very clear on what happens when an individual, and here a nation, chooses to turn their back on God.

Some may say it is too late and that our country has already turned its back on God. I think Scripture is clear as well that it is not too late. Our verses here in 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 seem to indicate that God had stopped the rain or blessings because of not following Him, but what He would do if Israel then returns back to Him. We also see many times throughout the Old Testament where Israel turned their back on Him and yet He showed them mercy when they returned to Him (and sometimes before). We also know the mercy He showed us through sending us Jesus with the verse I reference in my last post of Romans 5:8 stating He gave us Jesus “while we were still sinners” and undeserving. He’s a God of grace, love, and mercy.

What are we to do?

We are given some instruction in 1 Timothy 4.

11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,[a] so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

1 Timothy 4:11-16

Each one of us who are followers of Jesus can control this in our own household and by how we live our lives and the example we set to others.

Finally, let us pray. Let us pray that our great nation will return back to the words, “In God We Trust.” These words (or something similar) and a call for prayer only seem to come from our country’s leaders when we are in tragedy. Let us pray we return back to these words and go to Him during all times.

Love Like Jesus

Today’s readings are Proverbs 24-25, Psalm 41, and 1 Thessalonians 2.

Do you have enemies? I think most of us would likely say we don’t. When I think of an enemy, I usually think of someone who is really out to get me and maybe even is trying to cause me physical harm. However, some may say yes. Possibly it is an ex-significant other or spouse who is really making it difficult to move on and may even to be trying to keep new relationships from happening or trying to strain relationships with your children. Maybe it’s someone who is telling untrue things about you to others which could prevent you from a promotion at work or again is straining other relationships.

What is your posture towards these people when you see them? What are you thinking when you see their social media posts about their life, their family, and their successes? At a minimum you are likely not cheering them on to victories in their life and maybe even are ok with seeing them stumble a little bit. If you are like me, grace and forgiveness is difficult to those who have hurt you and pulling for them to succeed is an even higher bar that is very challenging for me to get to..and maybe even I’m ok with the ball not bouncing their way in full transparency.

The book of Proverbs is very clear though on the posture and behavior we should have towards our enemies…

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,

and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,

lest the Lord see it and be displeased,

and turn away his anger from him.”

Proverbs 24:17

 This verse says God’s anger turns away from that person when you rejoice in their stumbling and although it doesn’t explicitly state God’s anger turns to you…one can almost infer that. Jesus explicitly warns in Matthew 7:3-5 that it is wrong to find a speck in someone else’s eye because you are ignoring the plank in yours. In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus also talks about a Pharisee who said he was glad he was not like other sinners, including the tax collector near him. The last verse, Luke 18:14 says, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” How can I love my enemies more? I can start by noticing the grime and yuck of my sin and the grace and forgiveness Jesus has given me when I don’t deserve it.

The next chapter in Proverbs has another verse about our enemies which says we shouldn’t stop at giving them grace and forgiveness.

“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

for your will heap burning coals on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.”

 Proverbs 25:21-22

 Blessing someone who has wronged me is another level of grace and forgiveness which can seem nearly impossible for me to get to. As I reflect though, isn’t that what Jesus did for me?

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

Nothing Can Separate Us…

Today’s readings are 1 Kings 3, 2 Chronicles 1, Psalm 42, and Romans 8. The chapters in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles cover Solomon asking God for wisdom and God granting it and then some. I would encourage you to read them, but our focus primarily here is Romans 8.

Last week, a tragic and horrific event occurred in our community in what appears to be a murder-suicide leaving 3 young boys without a mother and a father. What those boys are going through is unimaginable and to say my heart and the hearts of others ache for them would be an understatement. How and what does one even pray for them…peace, hope, strength, comfort? Yes..but somehow all these and really anything else we could seem to pray for just doesn’t seem to be enough.

The one thing I just keep coming back to in my prayer is that somehow and in some way, they know now and in the future that their Heavenly Father loves them and always will and is always there for them. This is the essence of what Romans 8 describes.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:31-32

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:37-39

I am blessed to have an earthly Father who has shown me love and gives me a window into my Heavenly Father’s love making it easier to understand and fathom. Without that, it must be much more difficult to comprehend God’s love for these boys and others, but we also know the Bible tells us nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37, Matthew 19:26). And we are told here in Romans 8:37-39 that absolutely nothing can separate us from His love.

Will you please join me in praying for these boys that the Holy Spirit will work through those around them now and throughout their entire life so that they will be comforted by knowing the love of their Heavenly Father and Jesus which is told to us in God’s Word here in Romans 8 and throughout the entire Bible and ultimately evident through His sacrifice on the cross?

As you pray for them, please also consider praying for others in your life who may have experienced tragedy or past events which makes it difficult to know and comprehend the love God has for them.

 

Leadership Lessons From Joab

Today’s readings are 2 Samuel 9-10, 1 Chronicles 18-19, Psalm 89, and Acts 26.

Both 2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19 tell the story of David’s army defeating the Ammonites and the Syrians who joined forces. In both places we are told Joab, the leader of David’s army, came up with a strategy to split up, allowing his brother Abishai to lead a group with him leading the other still so that one group could help the other if they were in trouble. After gathering everyone and delivering the strategy, he told everyone the following in both passages which I will quote directly from 2 Samuel 10:12…

“Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to Him.”

We can learn some great leadership lessons from Joab in both 2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19 through this story.

  • You may be a good leader and great at what you do, maybe the best…but we must develop and trust in others, as well as delegate, to maximize our impact and what God will do through us to accomplish His will. We saw this through Joab allowing the army to split up and letting his brother Abishai lead the other group.
  • To lead others, we must have a strong “why” or purpose and communicate it to others with the potential to inspire them to potentially use it as theirs, too. Joab communicated the battle they were fighting was for their people and for the cities of God.
  • Have confidence. One of my past business coaches, Jason Selk, always said, “Confidence is the number one variable in success.” I can almost hear the confidence and conviction in Joab’s voice as he tells them to “Be strong..” Do you lack confidence? I do sometimes. A recent Tim Tebow book I read discussed having “God confidence.” As a believer in Jesus, your confidence is not in yourself, but what God can do through you. Check out Ephesians 3:20-21. It’s not what I can do, but what God can do through me. And that is more than I can ask or even imagine. I guess you could say these have become my life verse(s) in some way.
  • Joab gives it to God and ask that His will be done. I’ve also heard it said, “All we can do is to do our best, and let God take care of the rest.” As a Christ follower, it’s ok to ask for what we want..the Bible tells us that (Matthew 7:7-12). However, at the end of the day what should be most important to us is that His purpose is accomplished and that He is glorified which sometimes may come through our defeats and not through what we want occuring. We trust in God and that He will work good for whatever happens (Romans 8:28).

I pray we can apply these lessons from Joab in our lives which will allow God to be glorified through us and through all that we do.

 

Where is Your “Prison?”

Today’s readings are 1 Samuel 23-24, 1 Chronicles 6, Psalm 54, and Acts 16.

Have you have had a dream or felt God lay it on your heart to do something specific and make a big change or take a big step in your life? Did you take that step only to find out things didn’t pan out like you expected? Maybe you moved to a new city to take a different job and then shortly thereafter you were laid off, or maybe you took the risk to start your own business…only to have the business not succeed. We may not have all had a dream or heard the audible voice of God tell us to do something but most of us have probably prayed about something or done something that just felt right only to have it not work out the way we thought it was intended. Here in Acts 16, we read about the same thing happening to the apostle Paul.

Paul had a dream telling him to go to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). His traveling there seemed to make sense at first as shortly after arriving in one of Macedonia’s leading cities, Philippi, we are told on possibly the first Sabbath there, he was preaching to many women and a woman named Lydia was baptized (Acts 16:11-15). Can we relate to this feeling of things falling into place quickly when we take a risk, and we grow confident that we were correct in our interpretation of God’s prompting and plan for us with this being affirmation? However, things changed quickly for Paul and his preaching friend Silas. A slave girl who had to gift of divination and fortune telling followed them everywhere and was yelling continuously in support of them to the point that it was possibly a hindrance and Paul being annoyed commanded it to come out of her (Acts 16:16-18).  Now that her “gift” was gone, she was of no value financially to her owners and they were so upset that they had Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into prison (Acts 16:19-24).

At this point, what would you be thinking? For one, I would likely be scared. They were just beaten and wrongly imprisoned and Jesus who they preached about was just unfairly captured and beaten only to then suffer one of the cruelest deaths possibly dying on the cross. Would their outcome be the same? At a minimum, I would be questioning whether God was wrong, or I was wrong by coming to Philippi. You wanted me to preach the gospel God, but how can I be out preaching to people while I’m in these chains? We learn in Acts 16:25-34 what Paul and Silas actually did. They began to sing songs of praise to God…maybe similar to Psalm 54 from our reading today. Really? Praising God when I’m in prison?! Then, an earthquake came and their chains were broken and doors opened! Waking up and supposing everyone was gone, the jailer planned to kill himself before he was killed for not doing his job. But instead, Paul and Silas stayed there and shared to gospel with him and then traveled to his home with him to share it with his family leading them all to be baptized! Paul trusted in God and His purpose, regardless of his physical circumstance and environment, which led to others accepting Christ.

God’s plan for this journey didn’t stop there though. Not so ironically, I was supposed write this last week but our biblejournal.net was down. This Sunday on 5/5/24 at Eastview Christian Church, Pastor Steve Carter spoke about Acts 16 in his sermon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1TFw-uEjwU). He shared this happened around 47-50 AD and then somewhere around 60-63 AD while Paul was imprisoned again in Rome, he wrote a letter to the people in Philippi which we now know as the book of Philippians in the Bible. This letter which may not have been written if Paul had not gone to Philippi and been imprisoned there has impacted millions, if not billions, over the last 2000 years. God cares so much of each one of us and our eternal souls that Lydia’s conversion to following Jesus alone would have been worth Paul’s travels to Macedonia, but because Paul remained faithful, that was just the start. We can see Paul’s trust in God’s plan and his past experience in Philippi echoing in his letter to them years later as we read it. In fact, check out Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” It is mind blowing the impact Paul has now had two separate times while in prison. What is your “prison” now or in the future where you can still make an impact on others and God can do a great work in and through you when you stay faithful to Him and His purpose?

Consider taking some time today to reflect on this, and also take a listen to this song called Holy Ground by Passion featuring Melodie Malone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU771D5AYWE

A Change of Paradigm

Today’s reading is 1 Samuel 3-4, Psalm 23, and Acts 6.

Below is a post I wrote on February, 7 2019. It was a “different time” as they say pre-COVID. As I read Psalm 23 in preparation for today’s assigned reading though, this change of paradigm and post came to mind, and it seemed appropriate to re-share it. I was also reminded the heading above this chapter in my Bible says, “The Lord is My Shepard.” It made me think again…we need our “Shepard” during this life here on Earth.

 

When you think of a funeral and what Bible passages are read most commonly, which ones come to mind? Today’s reading of Psalm 23 most certainly is in the top few. When I hear this verse, I picture a person walking down a dark path lonely with a light up ahead. I’m not sure this would be the mental vision God would want me to have about death. As I read this verse more closely, what stuck out to me is that it is “the valley of the shadow of death” in Psalm 23:4. We, who are still living, are in the “shadow of death.” This is where we have fears, anxieties, and worries that cause us stress. This is when we need his “rod and staff” to “comfort me.” This is when I need to “fear no evil” and my soul needs restoring by laying in “green pastures” and by going “beside still waters.”

Revelation 21:4 tells us, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be morning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” When I die, I want my funeral to be a celebration that I’m living in Heaven in perfect peace worshiping the only King forever. I want a band playing songs of praise with everyone standing and worshiping Him reminding all there of the joy they can have in eternal life through confessing their sins and belief in Him and His resurrection! They don’t need to be sad for me…I’m not in a dark valley standing there by myself lonely. I’m experiencing a joy we can’t even imagine on this Earth worshiping Him in a similar way to how I hope they are at that moment.

The first part of Psalm 23:8 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” telling us maybe Psalm 23 is more appropriate for a baby dedication, a first communion, a baptism, or even a wedding. We can live in perfect peace throughout our life because the second part of Psalm 23:8 says, “and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” When we fix our eyes on that which is eternal (the only thing that matters), we will have comfort and respite from the challenges in this life.

Here is the song 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman which was sung at my wife’s great uncle Lee Dexheimer’s funeral. It reminded me we will experience a peace that passes all human understanding just like Lee did that day and still is today, forever and ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

What Do We Desire For Our Kids to Know?

Today’s reading is Judges 1-3, Psalm 16, and Luke 20.

We read in the book of Joshua where the Israelites reached the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. As he lead them he stated these famous words in Joshua 24:15, “..But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” When we read of Joshua’s death in Judges 2:6-10, we learn his generation and his children did serve the Lord, but we read in Judges 2:10 where the following generation “did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”

We then read on in Judges 2-3 where the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord in the following generations and under the next leaders (Judges 2:11, Judges 2:19, Judges 3:7, Judges 3:12). We also read in Judges 2:20 where this angered the Lord and Israel lost His favor and then as a result the protection of God because they turned against Him (Judges 2:21-23). For all those reading this who live in America, this probably brings us concern as we see our nation and its people turning further and further from God and what the Bible teaches.

We recalled earlier Joshua’s promise in Joshua 24:15 to serve the Lord and it seems as though he and his children’s generation did, but then what went wrong and why? The Bible doesn’t tell us, but I’m confident it’s not because the Israelites were always on their iPhone browsing Facebook and Instagram instead of spending time with and teaching their children or taking their kids to travel sports games instead of church (guilty here on both accounts). However, there must have been other distractions or reasons why they fell away from teaching their kids about God and all he’d done for them. Maybe they were too busy working to run the home or too busy battling other people for ground or maybe they just stopped focusing on the good God had done for them and focused only on their problems falling out of love with Him. We can only guess.

This is a good reminder and wake up call to us on how we must teach our children about God, what His Word teaches, and our love for Him (and His love for us), so that when our children are out of our house they will continue to stay close to Him, His Word, and live the way He desires us to.

Here are a list of things we can do to help lay a strong foundation with our children in their formative years with us so they will stay close to Him when they leave our home and so they someday can lead their children to God as well.

  • Attend Church Regularly – We are tired. We want to rest and relax the one day we can which is usually Sunday. We have kids’ sports and activities or when we don’t this is our one day off. But, we need fed God’s Word and time to worship Him. Studies show when we go to church, our kids are significantly more likely to when they are out of the house, too. When we are traveling, we can still try to watch or listen online together.
  • Join a Small Group/Bible Study – This is important for us to stay in God’s Word and close fellowship with other believers and will also show by example our kids how God is a priority and important amongst our busy schedules and lives.
  • Read a Daily Devotional and Your Bible (and let your kids see you doing it) – Staying close to God’s Word will pay dividends and improve our parenting as it speaks to us (Hebrews 4:12) each day. Quiet time alone with God in prayer reading is important as Jesus modeled (Luke 5:15, Mark 1:35), and I also think our kids knowing we do this and even seeing us reading from our Bible firsthand with their own eyes and how we make this a priority is also very valuable.
  • Listen to Worship Music – While our family loves many genres and time periods of music and listens to them frequently, I believe it’s also valuable to listen to Christian music and for our kids to see us singing and praising God while we’re in the car, making dinner, or during fellowship time. While our kids go to their own church service, we also try to attend a few worship music nights our church has with the entire family where we can all sing and praise God together.
  • Talk About What You Are Seeing and What God’s Word Teaches– We are now seeing on the news, in commercials, in TV shows and movies, and even things taught and/or allowed in our grade schools things that go against God’s Word. We must help our kids know at a young age what God and His Word says. The different sins of others are no worse than our own sins in God’s eyes and our kids must know this. We must teach our kids it’s ok to disapprove of sins that just may be different than our own (which we also disapprove of), and we can still love others in their sin the same way God loves us in ours. In the end, what’s most important is that they know what God’s Word says is right and wrong.
  • Discuss and Share Being in Awe of God – For those with younger children (and even older), discuss the beauty of His Creation around us..it could be as simple as the sunrise and sunset. Share what God is doing and has done in your life and the lives of others…even through challenging times. Remind them that, “God is great..all the time!”
  • Family Devotional Time – Consider taking time weekly to do a devotional together as a family and discuss. This is a great time to bond and model being in His Word and doing it together. I know for our family this is one we must improve on!

In between writing this, one of our small group members sent to our group a social media video of a pastor who said we should ask our children what they think the #1 thing is their parents desire for them to know. He said if they don’t answer, “to know God,” then that is a major problem. He commented that if they get great grades, but don’t know God..what does it matter? If they have a beautiful wedding, but don’t know God..what does it matter? I would add knowing God’s love and where our kids will spend eternity is what does matter.

In closing, when getting to know a potential new financial planning client, I ask them what’s important for the 5 Capitals they have in their life – Relational, Physical (time), Intellectual, Financial, and Spiritual. More than a few recently whose kids have just grown up and are now out of the house have commented that they are believers and pray but regrettably had not gone to church while their kids were growing up and now realize the not so favorable impact. I admire their awareness and have encouraged them their kids are still watching and following their lead..even if their kids are out of the house. And at the same time this is a good wake up call for those of us who still have kids living under our roof.

I’m asking myself what 1 thing from my list above is that I can improve on, and I would encourage you to do the same.