photo by apdk
Young children can sometimes get confused when their world is full of don’ts. Don’t touch that. Don’t play with your sister’s things. Don’t cross the street without looking both ways. Has your child ever looked at you and asked, “Then what can I do?”
The Ten Commandments were written by God in such a way as to teach us what He doesn’t want us doing. Don’t put other things first. Don’t mock His name or use it irreverently. Don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t envy other people’s things.
Because we want to be proactive parents, let’s teach our children what the Lord does want us to do. Turn the commandments around so they positively project what it is that would make God happy.
- Make Me the only God you love and serve, because I’m the only one there is.
- Make Me the most important thing in your life.
- Use my name with great care and reverence.
- Dedicate one day out of the week to focusing on Me.
- Treat your dad and mom with great respect and I’ll bless you for it.
- Respect life.
- Save yourself for marriage. Make your wedding night special beyond belief.
- Treat other people’s things and time with respect. Always ask permission before touching someone else’s property.
- Always be honest in your dealings with other people.
- Be glad for the success that others achieve. Congratulate and encourage them in the Lord.
Just so you know, I would never advocate changing the Word of God to make it say what I want it to say. All these positive spins can be found elsewhere in the Bible, so I’m not making these up to make God’s Word softer or more warm and fuzzy. Being proactive as a parent means we deliberately and purposefully teach our children what it means to be a follower of Christ. Knowing what to do is as important as knowing what not to do.
Enjoy teaching your child in a positive way!
If you're a pastor who regularly reads TGMT and your church has a website, would you consider linking to TGMT as a resource for your members? I would love to be a blessing to them in any way I could.
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3 comments:
thanks. this is a great tip. i think so many times,we and or children fail to see the blessings of obeying God's commands. i'm going to use this in our devotional time today!
So glad that post was a blessing to you! Thanks for commenting.
GREAT post. The 10 commandments we're given to the Israelites who were under law. In the New Testament we're under grace and the two (all encompassing) commands, love God and love others, are pointing in the positive direction. You've given the BIG 10 an inspirational gracelift, and I love it! : ) Keep doing what you do.
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