"1 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. 2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel."
Just Before Jacob died, he gathered his sons around him to give them a stunning prophecy about their futures. He wanted them to know that God had created them all for a purpose.
"For we are His workmanship," Paul wrote, "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).
One of the most important things we need to know-- and teach our children-- is that God has a plan for each of us, and that we need to obediently and purposefully walk in the middle of that plan. God has given each of us unique abilities, personality traits and other qualities to lead us to and help us fulfill that plan.
Your children need to know that no matter where they end up professionally or vocationally, it can be a place where God is able to use their talents and gifts to further His kingdom. Teach your children that God has a unique and special mission for their lives-- and that the most fulfilling and blessed place for them to be is obediently and enthusiastically living and walking in the way that fulfills that mission.
(From a devotion in Family Life's "Marriage Bible" NKJV titles "Created For A Purpose" page 63)
From their earliest days, Dennis and I let our children know that God had a special mission for their lives. Jesus' Great Commission to His disciples (see Natt. 28:19-20) applies to them as much as it does to us.
God has gifted them with unique abilities, personalities, and qualities that He wants to use to help accomplish His plan. We want our children to know it would be better to be a garbage collector in the will of God than to be on the mission field merely to please their parents.
One great way to instill a service mindset in your child is to go on a short term missions trip. Besides the impact you will have for Christ, you will find that your child will change in significant ways as he moves out of his normal comfort zone and sees how much others need Christ.
Your children will gain a far greater appreciation for what they enjoy in this country, and they will see first hand what life is like for people in another land. And they will taste both the sacrifice and the joy of being a servant.- (From a section titled "Parenting Matters" in Family Life's "Marriage Bible" page 62)
I pray that God will mold me into a mother who will not only require my children to live by a Godly standard but that I will be a Godly example for my children. That I will never resort to telling them that they should no do the things that I do but to do only as I tell them. I pray God will guide my hand as we teach them how to seek and find God and to not simply read their bible but to be students of the word and that, that will be their tools to bringing hope to the broken. I pray that they will know God's love so that they will know HOW to love. I pray that God will mold me into a Proverbs 31 woman and a Mother who lives by the WHOLE word of God to the best of my ability.
