Your Most Critical Duty…If You Don’t Do This You WILL Fail!

You love your children with all your heart and would do anything for them, right?  You feed and clothe them, provide opportunities for personal expression, education, discipleship and friendships.  You spend your entire life pouring out your energies to see that they have the best you can give them…and you hope that they “turn out” to be happy, healthy individuals who will experience a fulfilling life.

That’s all terrific.  But do you daily meditate on the fact that it is not enough?  In fact…it all amounts to nothing if they do not spend eternity with their Creator when they die.  Their life will be brief whether they live to be 7, 27 or 107.  And when it is over…what will they have been preparing for?

I hope that your singular, passionate, daily heart-felt desire is that they would have spent their portion of life on planet earth preparing for eternity.  Because THAT is where they will ultimately fulfill the purpose for which the Creator created them.

I’m amazed at how many folks so easily dismiss this.  “Yeah, yeah yeah…heard it all before…of course I want my kids to go to heaven.  They prayed the prayer when they were 4…so they’re goin’ there!  Got that taken care of early on…time to get to other stuff.”

Is Jesus Christ the all consuming treasure in your child’s life?  If not…then you have your work cut out for you.  And it won’t involve providing them with more opportunities to practice their batting skills.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matt. 6:33

If you want all those other great things for your child…the key is to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first.  The other stuff will come as God sees fit.  But so often we get that all turned around.  We seek the other stuff…and “hope” that the Kingdom of God stuff will happen by osmosis.  It doesn’t work that way.

So what can you do?  I mean…you can’t make your child see and savor and treasure Jesus Christ.  They are happy in the sand pit playing with their colorful plastic beads.  They aren’t interested in the diamond necklace you are holding out for them.

1. You must see and savor and treasure Jesus Christ yourself first. If you love other things more than Christ…it doesn’t matter what you say with your mouth…what you will inevitably communicate with your life is that Jesus is a “thing on the side” that you believe in.  Sort of like Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny.  He’s good for a trial.  But once the trial is over…let’s get back to real living.
2. Pray.
3. Pray.
4. Pray.
5. Pray.

I remember hearing a speaker who shared that she had been praying every morning for an hour for her children since they were small…and her children have grown up to be dynamic men and women who bring much honor and glory to their Savior in their adult lives.

That mom was just like us.  She sinned.  Yelled at her kids.  Got incredibly frustrated and wanted to give up sometimes.  But she prayed!!!  She asked the One Who COULD change the lives of her children…to do that…and to fulfill, not HER purpose for them…or THEIR purpose for them…but HIS purpose for their lives.  And He is doing that!

Do you think she has any regrets?  Do you think she understands her own weakness and grasps the awesomeness of the Strength of the Living God, “who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Eph. 3:20)?

Consider: How badly do you want that?   What’s your desire quotient?

We make time for what our hearts truly believe is most important.  It’s an accurate way of gauging where our hearts are at. Convicting…yes…but conviction is a good thing.  It brings repentance, humility and meekness into our lives…and we are all in desperate need of growing in that kind of character.   (We are Wemmicks, remember?)

Are you a single woman?  This series is for you too!  Have you even considered what God could do if you would invest time now in praying for your future husband?  Your future children?  Your parents and siblings?  I’m hoping this series will get you started early in fulfilling your ultimate purpose in life through prayer!

God has designed not only that prayer come to be, but that prayer sometimes be a necessary means for accomplishing the ends He has ordained.  In other words, God purposely designed how things would work so that some of what He accomplishes can only be accomplished as people pray.   —Bruce Ware

What do we pray for ? “Oh God…cause my son to win the _____________”.  No…He will not necessarily say “yes” to those kind of prayers.  It may be part of His refining in that child’s life for them NOT to win the ____________.

But, “Oh God…cause my son to seek hard after Christ.  When he spends time in your Word each morning, may Your Holy Spirit speak to him, convicting him of sin and drawing him to repentance and faith in You and Your promises.  May you give him an unshakable faith in the Living God that will be able to withstand the darkest nights of his life.  May he bring you glory and honor with his life…both here on earth…and for all eternity.  Save him…and may he find all  his joy and hope and life in knowing You!”

He delights to answer those kinds of prayers! He delights in our taking time to invest in praying those fervent prayers for the futures of our children that involve Him and His glory and their ultimate joy in Him!  We will fail!  He will not!  What a glorious truth in which to rejoice!

Prayer is your most critical duty.  If you do not pray…you will fail.

I’m going to continue this series with some great tips to help you get started in a dynamic, disciplined prayer life that will increase your confidence and joy in God, give you renewed hope for your children, and maybe even change the course of history.

Because that’s what prayer can do…