D4: Love Believers

In our last discipleship lesson we left off with the three priorities Jesus leaves us with in His longest recorded prayer or conversation with God before His death. The second priority in John 17 is to love other believers. We were created to be in community, in relationship and a part of something that is outside of and bigger than our little life bubble. The importance of this is tantamount to our growth and the ability to show that we love God with all our heart, mind and strength, which was the first priority in John 17.

To talk with my kids about this second priority we focused on Matthew 11:29-30 and 2 Corinthians 6:14.  In Matthew Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." We had a lively discussion about what a yoke was in the physical sense.  It was a heavy, wooden, plank structure that held two oxen together to plow the fields. Not a light thing to carry on your shoulders. I had my kids imagine themselves as those oxen and then we talked about true trust in Jesus and the intangible, spiritual yoke we are to have with Him.

When we are affiliated or yoked with other believers, when they are our circle, we are built up in Jesus and can trust and grow while in those relationships. It is critical to our spiritual growth to be in these relationships. But we constantly bump up against the pull of the world. So, my kids and I also looked at and talked about 2 Corinthians 6:14. It says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" My kids and I had a frank discussion about what happens if we yoke ourselves to unbelievers. The relationship in inconsequential to the unbeliever but it changes us. This ties back to my last post on being rooted. If we yoke ourselves to or allow ourselves to become rooted with people and behaviors that are not Christ-like, soon it becomes very easy to allow ourselves to act like those we are yoked to, which goes directly against what God intends for us.

We had a situation in our home to demonstrate just that in bright, living color. I will share that in my next post, so stay tuned, but I love how accurate and detailed God is when we seek and talk about His Word.  It will come alive, for better or worse!

Talk to your kids about loving believers as a priority and the idea of being yoked. Then watch for God to show them in a tangible way how that plays out in their lives.

By His Grace

Got Root?

On a recent school break the four of us had an opportunity to visit a redwood forest. Redwoods are beautifully tall trees. They can grow up to 2-3 feet a year in ideal conditions and there are some so large you can drive your car through their carved out trunk. Then I read that their root systems were shallow, which, from what I know about trees, is a recipe for disaster. But redwood trees grow in clusters. Under the surface of the soil these massive trees have roots that can extend over one hundred feet from their base, all the while intertwining with the roots of the other redwoods.

God created us to be in community. In Genesis 2:18 it says, 'Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone.  I will make a helper as his complement."' If a single redwood tree grew without the community or cluster of the other trees it would not survive the elements.

 

Over the past year I had the privilege of facilitating a couple of parenting studies and through that experience I found moms who just want to cluster together with like-minded moms. Moms who want to learn and grow and share parenting ideas with moms who believe and have the same 'root structure'. In addition, my husband and I began a small group bible study at our church, ironically called 'Rooted'. At a recent function with that group one of our members brought shirts for all of us and on the back was the question, 'Got Root?'. I was seeing a pattern!

 

We not only need root, we need to seek it out for ourselves as well as for our kids. As parents who desire that our kids walk through their lives with Christ as their center and guiding force, we need to equip them with the ability to root themselves in Christ and also to root themselves in a community. It starts in our homes. As we become rooted together as a family they can draw strength from that root system. As they grow we want them to intertwine their roots with like-minded friends through church or school. This equips them to seek out like-minded friends when they are no longer with us, hopefully!  Our job is to point them in that way and help them see the importance of intertwining roots.

It begs the question in my heart: what are we rooted to, who are our roots entwined with and how are we nourishing those roots?  "Therefore, as you have received Jd 3 Christ Jesus the Lord, Eph 3:11 walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him Eph 2:20 and established in the faith, just as you were taught Eph ; Heb 13:9 overflowing with gratitude." Colossians 2:6,7

By His Grace