As Christian parents, we want to introduce our children to Jesus in a way that their precious, little hearts can comprehend. Our responsibilities as parents are to teach our children the truth of the gospel. This is not a singular conversation but an ongoing one between God, your children, and you. There will be points where you hit the mark and other points where you fall short. There are opportunities we have daily to teach our children according to Jesus’ ways, not ours. This is one of the greatest ways we can reveal Jesus to them. Here are five important conversations about Jesus every parent should have.
Jesus Dealt With Temptation
We know Jesus was confronted with temptation. He was in the desert for 40 days, hungry, week, and tempted by the devil. This is a great conversation point to have with our kids about what temptation feels like. Help your children understand that they may be tempted to lie, hit, use unkind words, and stretch the truth, among other things. Help your children to understand that Jesus also knows what temptation is like because He went through it. In the Bible, Jesus tells the devil that He won’t do what the devil tells Him, only what God tells Him. When your children are in a situation where they are thinking about hitting, lying, stealing, or being unkind, they can think about what Jesus did in His moments of temptation. He paused and turned to God.
Jesus Helped Others
Jesus wants us to help others. Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.” Doing something to help those in need is its own reward. The verse also helps us understand that showing compassion to others who are less fortunate is an act that God will reward. A meaningful conversation to have with your children is important that Jesus places in helping others. A great verse to point them to is Ecclesiastes 4:9, which says, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” Through this verse, and similar verses, children can discover that helping others is pleasing to God, and it can make work easier. Take time to talk about individual things they can do to help their friends and others around them.
Jesus Can Do the Impossible
We often hear that all things are possible with Jesus. This is something your children should believe wholeheartedly. One of the best ways to help children understand that Jesus can do the impossible is by showing them examples of His miracles. One miracle that you can start with is Jesus feeding more than 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, referenced in Matthew 15-21. This is the only miracle repeated in all four gospels. There are also tons of miracles that they can read about in the Old Testament that speak to the power of God, like Noah and the Great Flood, David and Goliath, and Jonah and the Whale. Ultimately, each of these stories indicates that we serve a Mighty God. In addition to helping our children understand that Jesus performed many miracles during His earthly ministry, they should also understand that we still see many miracles today. Tell your children about the miracles taking place in your life and how God responsible for making these miracles happen. Explain to them prayers that God has answered and His incredible love for us. Just as the disciples were excited to talk about Jesus, we should be equally as eager to share Him with others.
Jesus Thinks Prayer is Important
Prayer was important to Jesus. Often, Jesus’ disciples and followers were immersed in prayer. Jesus was no exception. There were countless times that Jesus stepped away from what was going on during His ministry to pray. He valued prayer so much because it was how He was able to talk to His Father. We must establish the importance of our prayer with our children. You can introduce your children to prayer by reciting simple prayers. Consider the child’s grace, “God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food…” or the Lord’s Prayer. This will help them get into the rhythm of prayer and set the proper foundation for a strong prayer life.
Jesus Thinks We Are Important
In Matthew 19:15, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” When the disciples told the children to get away from Jesus, He told them not to send them away. There are times when children feel like they are cast to the side and not important in their eyes and to others. There are also times that we are so busy with our home lives, our work lives, and our personal lives that our children may not feel like they rank high in our top priorities. Reading this passage can help your children see just how important they are to Jesus. Even when they feel like their friends, and loved ones are too busy, they will know that Jesus always time.
We mustn’t get the gospel message confused with the message of the world. Romans 12:1-2 reminds us, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s Will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Be sure to teach your kids the gospel truth. This is the clear message that we are saved by faith, and there is nothing we can say or do that will take us away from our acceptance in Jesus. When we can communicate this truth to our children, we are on the right track.