Scripture: James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves; do what it says.”
Devotional: There’s a simple little principle called the law of exposure; the premise is that those things to which you expose your children will shape who they become and what they believe. If you profess to be a Christian, but never really display evidence of actually following Christ, you’re exposing your kids to hypocrisy. Hypocrisy that could quickly drive them away from God.
If you consistently allow your kids to be exposed to bad attitudes or oversexualized images, hardcore materialism, perverted thinking, prejudices, or ungodly values – whether yours or those of people you hang most with - they will likely drift from God.
But you can be selective in the environments you place them in. And that begins first and foremost in your home. When you expose them to a family that seeks to live out an authentic faith in Jesus, when they see you knowing God and loving God, worshipping Him, being convicted and changed by His Spirit and experiencing His power, purpose and peace in your life, they will be drawn to this kind of authenticity.
And likely follow Jesus faithfully along with you.
Reflect:
- Consider what you’re exposing your kids to most day-to-day in your family. How are those things shaping their lives?