“You will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua…There will be no end to his Kingdom!” Luke 1:30,33
What Kingdom do you want to be a part of? The Kingdom of Yeshua or the kingdom of satan? When I speak of “we” I know how we live because I used to live the same way, for the here and now as if there is a God but he is OK with us no matter what we do. It is easy to get this impression because that is the main message taught no matter which “christian” religion you follow. They might push certain agendas differently, but in the end they all come back to their version of it being OK with God. So many people think that being they say they are of Jesus Christ, they are good to go.
Not long ago an aunt of mine said after her husband died from lung cancer, “it made me think what is life really about?” And I watch events in this life, like today is the 13th birthday of our older daughter, and cannot believe what has happened to the last 10 years since we adopted her. Or a few days ago our son turned 7 and same thing, where did those years go? This year I turned 60 and same thing, how???
The interesting thing is we want the best for our kids and for ourselves, but what is the best for us? I look at my son, and he is going to be a great athlete, he is tall, strong and very quick and fast. Seems the family genes jumped over me and landed on some of my kids like him. I think he would be an amazing tight end or basketball player, especially if he learned the knowledge I can teach him about those sports. I really do not want him to play football as it is too taxing on the body.
Our daughter wants to be a veterinarian. A good career with good money.
Isn’t this what most of us want for our kids? To be successful in the world and have people say how great you or your kids are? I look at my oldest biological daughter who has had very good worldly success, being Miss Iowa and on TV. Engaged to a pro basketball player, a real beautiful young lady. There is a part of me that is very proud of her for what she accomplished, the other part knows how that success ruins you or makes it very difficult to enter into the Kingdom of Yeshua. It is not impossible as anything is possible with God, but it makes it much more difficult, and the reason is success breeds self confidence and even cockiness. The opposite of what we should be to enter into the Kingdom of Yeshua which requires meekness and being humble.
So what do you do? Try to beat up your kids mentally to keep them low in self esteem? Or do you just not teach them basketball so they do not use those talents?
This is the point, no one knows what to do or how to do it as each person is different and unique including the kids you are raising. The only way for you to enter into the Kingdom of Yeshua which is a perfect Kingdom which lasts forever in perfection, is to be right with him yourself. And the same with your kids, they must be right with Yeshua also.
We must keep in our mind this world is not the end game, it is a very short period of time in our forever journey, so do you want to focus on this short journey or on your forever home? Because the forever home is either the most incredible experience ever, or the worst ever. It is not like earth where there is a mix of both the good from God and the bad from satan and his people living in his Kingdom. The next life is 100% one or the other, complete awe of peace, joy, love, pleasure. No more tears… Or complete suffering at levels you never knew existed. And the thing is we get to choose where we go. Not by making a decision like saying “I am for christ” or “I am for satan.” No, the decision is do I listen to satan and live my selfish life the way I want, making my own decisions good or bad? Or do I live according to God, and allow him to make my decisions for me because I hear him and obey him?
The only way for any real peace in this world is to do things according to God and what he tells you to do. This message is what he commanded us to tell everyone, “make the disciples of nations!” We must first follow Yeshua and then tell everyone else to follow him. But the person must make up their own mind, and many think you are crazy for even saying we can hear him, and then must obey him.
So in raising your kids, we must first be right with God, hearing him and obeying him. Then give the same message to your spouse and your kids. And then to everyone else. “If you train your son in the way he must go, in his old age he will return to it.” SWe must be right in Yeshua and then not only teach with our mouth, but more so with our actions. Otherwise we are hypocrites, saying one thing and doing another. And the funny thing is people will walk all over you in this world and we are to basically let them.
I tell my wife and kids how to live this life in a much better way, and they give me bad feedback, saying things like you’re not my dad, I do not need you telling me what to do. Or similar, when I am only trying to help them find what I have found.
If the other person does not want to hear it they will find excuses and or try to find fault in you to change the focus. It is easy to find fault in others based on your own convictions. The Jews did it even with the only perfect man to walk the earth, Yeshua. The Jews could not see the hypocrisy in themselves to change it. Instead they did what everyone else does. Point fingers and try to find anything possible in the other person to change the focus.
Back to the verse, and the Kingdom of God. Because right now I am going through some tough stuff with my wife. My life of 15 plus years with her has been a roller coaster, sometimes it is amazing when she is really focused on God and his will. And then something happens and it is terrible. The latest is her dad was really sick, almost died. She brought him here to stay for a week or so, along with his evil spirits. She has not been the same since. Not with me, not with her family, and not with her sons and daughters. I know she sees it some, because one night she asked me to pray over her, so I did in tongues. But at the same time she is not repenting, it seems in her mind if someone prays for her then it is done, no repenting and changes on her part are necessary.
But that is not true, we must repent and change our life around to the way Yeshua expects in order to enter into his Kingdom. Again, this life is not about your pleasure and entertainment. It is a testing ground to squeeze the sin out of you, and humble you. It is the opportunity for you to make a serious decision to know Yeshua, or to remain in your own flesh, we all are born into the flesh and must die unto ourselves in order to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Have you done so? Or do you still walk according to your own ways and truth? The light of God cannot enter into you if you walk in your own way and in your own truth of how it should be. The way the people of the world think it should be, goes completely against the “ways” of Yeshua. So choose wisely.