![\"obedience-with-joy\"](\"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/obedience-with-joy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
We can’t change our children’s hearts and\u00a0make\u00a0<\/em>them cheerful about obeying us<\/strong>, but we can certainly\u00a0encourage<\/em>\u00a0cheerful obedience, and we can help our children see\u00a0why\u00a0<\/em>they can obey with joy.<\/p>\n We’ll talk about teaching older children to respect parental authority (as Daniel promised last week) in a future post, but for today let’s look at the attitude<\/strong> behind true obedience.<\/p>\n We’ll look at 3<\/strong> reasons<\/strong> for cheerful obedience, and 4\u00a0ways to encourage<\/strong> cheerful obedience.<\/p>\n Reasons for cheerful obedience:<\/strong><\/p>\n Let’s start by looking at Deuteronomy 28. In this chapter Moses describes to the children of Israel the blessings that will come with obedience and the curses that will accompany disobedience. Then in verses 47 and 48, he says,<\/p>\n Because you did not serve the LORD your God\u00a0with joyfulness and gladness of heart<\/strong>, because of the abundance of all things,\u00a0therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n God had given the Israelites the land of Canaan, a land “flowing with milk and honey”. Their response to such love and grace should have been grateful, loving worship and obedience. But they didn’t obey God with “joyfulness and gladness of heart”, and because they were unwilling to serve Him with joy, they were left to serve their enemies instead.<\/p>\n When the Israelites failed to serve the Lord with joy, they were disobeying<\/em>.<\/p>\n When we or our children fail to serve the Lord\u00a0with joy<\/em>,\u00a0we\u00a0<\/em>are disobeying.<\/em> He has called us to obey Him with joy.<\/p>\n God has given us life. He cares for us and blesses us. Our response should be one of gratefulness and a desire to serve and please the One who has done so much for us. Our children can be cheerful when they obey, because they know they are serving and pleasing God.<\/p>\n Philippians 2:14 commands us to\u00a0“do all things without grumbling or disputing”<\/em>, We and our children break this command when our obedience is not coupled with joy.” This is a command, not a suggestion. We are to do\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>things without grumbling or disputing. Earlier verses in Philippians 2 tell us how and why.<\/p>\n Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,\u00a0who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,\u00a0but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.\u00a0And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [<\/em><\/p>\n We are to have the mind of Christ. He gave up the glories of heaven to become a servant and to obey, even to the point of death, because He was carrying out His Father’s will.<\/p>\n If the Son of God can humble Himself and obey, surely we \u2013 and our children — can and should humble ourselves and obey those God has placed over us! We can do it with joy, without grumbling or disputing, because our Savior did \u2013 because He loves us so much — and He gives us the desire and strength to imitate Him!<\/p>\n Ephesians 6:1-3 commands,<\/p>\n Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n When our children obey, they can do it joyfully, knowing that their lives will be blessed.<\/p>\n How to Help Our Children Obey with Joy:<\/strong><\/p>\n We can\u2019t make <\/em>our children obey cheerfully. But we can help them learn to obey cheerfully.<\/p>\n Sit down together and ask questions: What are they forgetting to be thankful for? What or who are they making more important than God? What has God done for them? How much does He love them? What should our response to His love be?<\/p>\n Read the Bible aloud to your children each day. Focus on the gospels. Stop and talk about what you are learning about Jesus. In what ways did He joyfully obey His Father?<\/p>\n We cannot change our children\u2019s hearts. If they resist our authority, we are responsible to train and discipline them. But God is the only one who can change their hearts. We can\u2019t force cheerfulness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n