TheCross Blog

Parenting in Spiritual Abundance Now, for the parallel. When a person is brought up in a spiritually deprived environment, there’s a natural sense of something missing. Spiritual hunger, and the emptiness that often accompanies it, typically plays a significant role in a person’s response to the gospel. Up to that point, they may have embraced a string of religious counterfeits. But counterfeits, like junk food, can’t ever satisfy. When a spiritually starving person finally gets a taste of the Bread of Life and a sip of the Living Water, the contrast is overwhelming. There might not be an instant surrender, but when the Holy Spirit finally makes his move on their heart, the change is deep, the contrast is stark, and at least it seems there’s no turning back. A newfound faith is often accompanied by a passionate desire for more of God, his word, his truth and grace, and his extended family. This pursuit has a transforming impact across the board in this new believer’s life. ...

Last week we looked at the first series on Leaving Spiritual Wealth for your Children. This week Series 2 , we shall be continuing as have said last week with the topic: Parentingin Material Abundance Exceptions exist, but typically they are owing to deliberate actions parents take. They know it’s critical that their children experience their own financial journey. These kinds of parents tend to share two overriding principles in common. First , they see the importance of their children experiencing financial adversity. They view the statement “I don’t want my children to have to go through what I went through” for what it is — a misguided view of adversity that ultimately denies their children a chance to gain personal economic maturity. Their kids may have a nicer home and more options than their parents did at the same age, but wise parents make sure to keep dilemmas in place that force their children to develop fiscal responsibility. For starters, their chil...

Many Christians, like most people, aren’t wealthy — financially or spiritually. Many may live paycheck to paycheck materially, and too many live paycheck to paycheck spiritually. They struggle to enjoy divine margin in their relationship with God — surviving on a series of emotionally charged events or experiences. Kids in these homes have a unique set of issues to process when it comes to developing an intimate relationship with Christ. Fortunately, many Christians fall on the other side of the continuum. They enjoy enormous spiritual margin in their relationship with Jesus, because they seek him daily and aim to live for his glory. The depth and maturity of their walk with Christ creates stability and richness and overflow in their families. But their abundance in Christ can present a particular set of struggles when it comes to their children developing their own passionate relationship with Jesus. Passing on material goods to our children creates a fairly good analogy ...