God blesses obedience

Even though we are deep into day six of our seven day journey, this can be one of the most challenging lessons to teach a child. Why? Because children develop preconceived ideas of what personal blessing should look like. (In fact, this can be a weakness in each of us.)

For example, let’s say that your son has graduated from college and has a desire to get married and raise a family. From the time he became a Christian he has understood that his life is set apart to live for Christ and he has waited for God’s will to be revealed. Yet years go by and there appears to be no provision of a godly wife. Does this mean that God is not blessing His obedience? By no means.

As we teach our children to trust that God blesses obedience, they should also learn that while we are responsible for personal obedience, God takes responsibility for the results. And, those results should be evaluated from God’s perspective rather than merely from a human point of view.

Using the previous example, God may be blessing your son in numerous ways apart from marriage: By allowing your son to remain single, perhaps God is growing his faith through developing qualities such as patience, perseverance, and trust. Without having the responsibilities of a wife and children, this may be a season of his life when he is able to give more money to missions. Maybe, while he is still single, God is providing him with opportunities to mentor young single men, teaching them to study and apply biblical truth.

Only God knows the plans He has for us, so perhaps marriage is in this man’s future. Regardless, God desires that we grow in dependence on Him and will bless us for it.

Are you examining your child’s blessings from God’s perspective?

Psalm 37:4 tells us: Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. As parents, we should be teaching our children to be content to follow Christ, moment by moment, day by day. Encourage them to find satisfaction in the study of God’s Word and to delight in His presence. As a result of seeking fulfillment in Christ, His expectations will become your child’s desires.

Many people stop at verse 4, but verses 5 & 6 of Psalm 37 are very significant in training children about God blessing obedience: Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

In these verses the psalmist is teaching us to encourage our children to continually commit their lives (the activity and commitments of each day, and yes even potential relationships) to the Lord. As it pertains to matters of the heart, it means that we train our young people to commit to becoming the people God desires them to be. Consequently, they will be prepared to reflect Christ in the relationships God has for them. This means that we train them to move from studying truth to acting on it by trusting in it!

In doing so, God will bless their obedience by allowing their lives to be honoring to Him.

Are you diligently training your children in obedience, knowing it results in blessing?