Just Like You

My boys are in fifth grade and seventh grade. From time to time they do projects and the boys will tell me what they thought about that particular project.

Both of my boys have told me that on various occasions, they talk about what they want to be when they grow up. If your kids have a vast imagination like my boys, you would expect their answers to be things such as:

• Batman

• A fireman

• A baseball player

• Spiderman

• A racecar driver

• A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

• A train conductor

With my boys, that is not the case. They still like things like playing the trumpet, video games, and soccer. However, what struck me the most was when they told me:

They want to be like their Daddy.

Out of all the things that they could choose to be like, they said that they want to be like me.

What does this mean?

I have two boys that are watching my every move.

How you live your life comes down to being intentional.

I don't have time to waste on deliberate disobedience. You know what that is - chasing sin instead of chasing Christ. I don't have time to be lazy, selfish, or prideful.

When your child is watching you, they pick up very quickly who you are when no one is looking.

Live a life of integrity.

Don't live a lie in front of your child. Don't act like you are one person at work or at church and then you act like a totally different person when you are at home.

Daddies have a key role here. You get to show your daughters what kind of man they need to look for and you get to show your boys what kind of man they need to become.

You have more influence than you know.

The best thing that you can do for your children is to follow Jesus and love your wife.

You want to follow Jesus because your child is going to pick up whether or not you truly have a relationship with Jesus.

You want your child to see you pray and read the Bible. Pray with them and for them.

I have talked about this in the past - God gave you your child as an arrow to mold and shape so at the right time you can launch that arrow into the world to pierce the kingdom of darkness with the light of the gospel.

A dull arrow doesn't do much damage.

You want to point your child to Jesus. You want Jesus to save them and then you get to disciple them and show them what it looks like to live a life on fire. A devoted person in love with Jesus will obey Jesus no matter where He leads them. That is what we should want for our children.

Love your wife. Boys and girls both need to see the heart of their Daddy. They need to see a man that is tough when he needs to be tough and gentle when he needs to be gentle. They need to know that their Daddy loves their Mommy. Your children need to see you:

• tell her that you love her

• hold her hand

• hug her

• kiss her

Children need to know that our wives come before they do. They need to know that they are not the center of the universe. They need to know that Daddy and Mommy have date nights and retreats because those times are reserved just for Daddy and Mommy.

As men, we need to be everything that God created us to be. That means that we are reading the Bible and applying it to our own spiritual lives so that we can follow Jesus and be obedient to His leading. We need to be the best disciples that we can be so that we can teach our children how to become disciple makers.

Follow Jesus and love your wife.

You are being watched.

Blessings.

Pastor Jimmy