Our children are gifts from God, but they are not God.

KEY VERSES

Psalm 127:1-5 (NASB)

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Luke 14:25-27 (NASB)

Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

UNDERSTANDING

• According to the psalmist, what would make your parenting “in vain” (v. 1)?

• What does it look like practically for the Lord to build your house? What steps can you take to invite the Lord to be involved in your parenting every day?

• How do you manage the balance between trusting God in your parenting and working hard at it yourself?

• In this week’s message, we considered that children are the collateral damage of a consumeristic culture. In what ways did the psalmist describe children? How should Psalm 127 inform your parenting in today’s culture?

• Why are arrows a good description of children in light of our talk about love and limits?

• In what ways are your children a reward for you?

• How do you reconcile Jesus’ teaching here with the teaching in Psalm 127:3-5?

• According to Jesus’ words in Luke 14:25-27, what is ultimately best for your kids? When thinking about parenting and children, what’s your initial reaction to these words from Jesus? Why?

• Why do so many well-meaning Christian parents prioritize the peripherals and sacrifice the spiritual?

• In what ways are you tempted to do this? When do family commitments or other priorities hinder your commitment to first seek God’s will or plan for your life and the lives of your children?

• What actions can you take to ensure that your relationship with Jesus takes precedence over your relationships with your children? How does this serve to help your relationship with your children and not hinder it?

• What did Jesus mean by bearing one’s own cross and following Him (v. 27)?

• Do you find it more difficult to prioritize your relationship with Jesus over your family or over your own interests? Why?

APPLICATION

• Are you better at reaching your kids’ hearts or filling their heads? What is the difference? In what sense are both Psalm 127 and Luke 14:25-27 a call to reach your kids’ hearts?

• How often do you talk to your children or your family about spiritual things? About the gospel? What steps could you take this week to make such conversations a more consistent part of your daily life?

• In this week’s message, you were challenged to model devotion to Jesus in your own life. What are some ways you might do that this week?

• You were also encouraged to cast a Jesus vision for your children. Based on your parenting lately, what vision are you casting for your children?

• What tools that God offers your family through LCC have helped you show your children that they are a gift from God, but they are not God? What tools at LCC can you take better advantage of to teach those lessons going forward?

WANT TO DIVE DEEPER?

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GIVING

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