TheCross Blog

Passing on a Living Faith Passing on a fervent faith in Christ to the next generation is difficult, but it’s not impossible. Ultimately God gives the gift of the new birth, but he does invite parents in to play an essential part. Like the wealthy parents that effectively pass on a healthy appreciation and stewardship of money to their kids, there are a couple of things, among others, that Christian parents can do in an effort to make their child’s upbringing a launching pad for their own passionate relationship with Jesus. First , allow them to face a degree of spiritual adversity. It’s obviously reckless for a parent to simply throw their helpless children into the midst of a morally hostile world. But it can be equally irresponsible and reckless to raise them in an environment that doesn’t really need God’s power and presence for protection. Although their children get to bask in the blessing of a godly and righteous home, wise parents know that there’s a huge differ...

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 ...

Its been an amazing week so far, Last week we took our time to discuss on HABITS & SEXUAL BEHAVIOURS THAT COULD RUIN THE LIFE OF A CHILD, just in case you missed last week post, you can click here to read all what we talked about. I made a promise to us that this week i will be taking about "HABITS THAT SHOWS IMPROPER UPBRINGING IN CHILDREN" As Parents, it is still our responsibility to build virtue into our family. We need to learn from others because the more we live, the more we learn. Please, carefully look into the list below to see where you may want to make amends on yourself or the young ones you are caring for. Children, if not properly groomed may never get to the top in life, even if the parents are at the top of their career. Manners take you to where your education can't take you, irrespective of your status, money or the "who you know" factor. NOTE : This is not meant to hurt anyone or pin...