Jesus and Moms – 6 Ways to Show Love to Your Children

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Show notes: What I’d like to share tonight is a way to embrace the vocation and high calling of motherhood that keeps our eyes on Christ.

First, let’s look at how Jesus taught. This will help us in our daily, minute-by-minute instruction of our children no matter what age they may be. This is also called relationship.

If we look at the life of Christ we see that Jesus was loving. He repeated spiritual truths over and over so that people might understand. He walked among the people healing them, by asking them questions, and by imparting truth through ways they could understand (Mark 4:34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.)

Jesus was someone who attracted others. He had a way of pointing to the Father that satisfied the needs of people. He knew how to satisfy their greatest spiritual needs. Even when they just returned for more bread, he knew they had a greater need.

6 Ways to Show Love to Your Children

Here are ways he did just that, and how as Moms we can be encouraged that if we will follow the master Jesus will meet their needs and our own.

1. Children need to feel safe, loved, and important.  Do you have a consistent temperament? Do you meet as well as you are able your children’s basic needs for clothing, shelter, and food? Is your discipline consistent or are your children unsure of what to expect? Can your child confide in your? We are especially admonished not to provoke our children to anger or discouragement (Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.Jesus makes us feel safe, loved, and important in his very life (lived sinlessly), death (for our sins), and resurrection (for our justification) that we might have peace with God the Father, Romans chapter 4.
2. Children must trust their parents Do you keep your word to your children? Do you keep your word to others so your children witness this? Do you do your best to make sure that trustworthy adults influence your children? Remember when we talked about how Jesus patiently repeated things to his followers (and for our benefit) so we’d understand? This built trust. We can trust him because He did exactly what he said he would do. Read Mark 8,9, and 10. He said he would suffer, die, and rise. He did.
3. Children need to know their worth Do your children understand that their value as a human and made in the image of God? Do your children see how important they are to you by the time and real attention you give to them? Are you full of distraction? God’s Word tells us children are a heritage (Psalm 127) and fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139), and that the Father would hold nothing back in saving them should they stray, and in fact he didn’t hold back his only son. (Matthew 18 and the parable of the lost sheep)
4. Children need to see their purpose and calling Do your children see that they’ve been created by God and live in the culture and time we live in “for such a time as this”. Do you? Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
5. Children need chores Constant entertainment is soul-destroying to anyone, especially a child. There is value in work that sparks their creativity and curiosity and helps them see their place in God’s world. Again, Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
6. Wisdom and role models- Children need your guidance and the guidance of trusted adults, especially as they become young adults themselves to help grow discernment. Who do you know that exhibits wisdom that would be a good influence? Do you exhibit wisdom to your children? Proverbs 13:20 tells us, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

Learn more about Susanna Wesley here.

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