Loving God

Loving God

Our goal in Children’s Ministry at Rockpointe is to partner with parents to teach kids to Love God, Love Others, and Share the Gospel. In Matthew chapter 22, Jesus is asked by the Pharisees what is the greatest commandment. His response is:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” 

Of all the things that Jesus could have said, Love the Lord is at the top of the list. For this reason, it should be at the top of our list too. How do we teach that to our kids? How do we ensure that our kids are given the opportunities to know God enough that this becomes their priority as well? That is what the topic of this parenting blog post is all about.

The big question…How do I teach my kids what it means to love God? Here are a couple of things that can help.

Teach kids to understand who God is

The best way to understand God is to read about Him. Spend quality time reading the Bible together as a family. There are some great devotionals that walk through the Bible at every age level. Through reading the Bible, they can grasp the characteristics of God and build their understanding of His truth, His love, His grace, and His mercy.

Teach kids to spend time with God in prayer

We teach the kids in Base Camp that prayer is simply a conversation with God. It’s that simple. It doesn’t have to be long. It doesn’t have to be at a certain time. It doesn’t have to be formal. It should be an ongoing conversation, though. It should be a recognition of how great God is, but also a conversation of how we are feeling and that we need Him. Teaching kids a morning or bedtime routine for prayer is critical to having them form an active prayer life. Kids are creatures of habit. Another good way to foster a good prayer life is for them to see you having an active prayer life. There is no better example in their lives.

I know what you are thinking, “Don’t you know how busy my life is?” Trust me…I do. These things take time, but they are well worth it in the end. It will help your children understand who God is and why it is important to be in relationship with Him.

Next time, we will discuss some ways to help kids better understand what it means to love others and why Jesus said it was so important.

Your partner in ministry,