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Raising a Child with a Biblical Worldview-12706985Finding God0Finding GodKids enjoy the game of Hide and Seek. Part of the thrill is finding the hidden person. There is even greater delight in finding God. The best part is that He’s hiding in plain sight! The goal is to help children establish a mindset of looking for God everywhere. Deliberate instruction results in children discovering God frequently—in many places and in many ways. We can direct their eyes to His awesome handiwork. Guide their thinking to biblical consideration of facts. In short, keeping their focus on God is the core of a biblical worldview.0133350A Biblical Worldview for KidsA Biblical Worldview for Kids The way someone answers major life questions reveals his worldview. We can help young children learn how a Christian would answer the following big questions. What is really real?God is real. He exists.What do we know about the world? God created everything perfectly. He holds everything together and keeps it going. (He ordered it and sustains it all.)Who am I? What is a human being?I was created by God in His image—just like Him.God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself.What happens to a person after they die?A person will live forever either in heaven or hell. People who believe Jesus got punished for them when He died on the cross will get God’s gift—endless life with Him in heaven. What do I know about how I think? Can I know everything?God helps me understand and learn. What is right and wrong? Who decides the rules?The Bible helps us know what is right and wrong. God decided the rules. Jesus gave us an example of how to follow those rules.What can we learn from the past?God has a reason for everything that happens. He has plans for everyone’s life. When we think about what happened in the past, we can see that God’s plans are good.Does it matter how I live and learn?0351790Will it make a difference to promote Christ-like thinking? Will it make a difference to promote Christ-like thinking? God made me just like Him so I can imitate Him. His Bible tells me how to live. It matters a lot to God how I live. I can follow Jesus’ example of serving and loving others.Yes! The life of Timothy gives us encouragement. Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:14-15 tell us that Timothy learned the Holy Scriptures as a child. The passage assures us that such knowledge leads to wisdom, which then leads to salvation. “But you should continue following the teaching you learned. You know it is true, because you know you can trust those who taught you. You have known the Holy Scriptures since you were a child. These Scriptures are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (ERV).0-3175Getting Started Getting Started Biblical worldview instruction begins with God. Greater knowledge of Him increases our love for Him. Then, that love flows through us naturally, as described in Deuteronomy 6: 4-9.“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (NIV).Catching Glimpses of God: establishing a new mindset for each dayDeliberately looking for GodFrequently invite a child to go on a “God hunt.” Say, “Let’s see where we can we find God today.” “Catch glimpses of God’s love in Mommy’s warm hug. Spot God’s protection and help in Daddy’s strong arms.”A father’s strength reminds us of God’s strong arms:“The Lord shows us how we should live, and he is pleased when he sees people living that way. If they stumble, they will not fall, because the Lord reaches out to steady them” [Psalm 37:23-24 (ERV)].A father’s protection reminds us of God’s protection:“Lord, you have given me your shield to protect me. You support me with your right hand. It is your help that has made me great. You cleared a path for my feet so that I could walk without stumbling” [Psalm 18:35-36 (ERV)].“Discover more of His love by taking a closer look at His creation (examining things in a microscope reveal a whole world of beauty that exists inside things we take for granted, like an onion skin) We can examine God’s Word closely and find surprises hidden in familiar verses!”“Catch glimpses of God’s beauty in what He created.”Take time to stop by a flower. See how many ways you can enjoy God’s beauty. Smell it, stoke your face with it, close your eyes and feel the petals, count the petals…Strategy for doing this in the context of a busy day:Pick a flower before getting into the car. As you drive, the child will have time to explore God’s beauty as you marvel at His creation (in your conversation).“Catch a glimpse of God’s presence when problems come.”Point out to a child that God’s beauty is often seen after harsh weather (rainbows sometimes appear after a storm). Explain that He shines His beauty in our lives just when we need it most.Explain that hidden colors remind us He’s always there. Leaves reveal their colors in the fall—colors that were always there. Rainbows burst through a prism when light is bent—revealing colors that are always there in light.Ask, “What can we do when we find God?”Say, “Just like in the game of Hide and Seek, enjoy the experience. Jesus told us to love Him with our feelings and our minds. We know He’s so wonderful and that He created all things good, and we love Him for that!” Tell him that Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” [Matthew 22:37 (ERV)].More Structured Opportunities: Times of devotionsAdults get excited when children become fluent readers. That’s a good thing, except when reading the Bible. We don’t want kids to whiz by important verses. We don’t want them to fly by familiar passages without stopping to reflect on the precious truths.There are ways to increase a child’s attention to God’s Truths. Here are 3 strategies to promote focused Bible reading:Select a short Bible passage. Read it aloud together slowly. Instruct the child to match your deliberate pace. Feel free to stop at certain words which create moments of amazement. Take time to ‘gaze’ in awe at a remarkable truth. Example: Read Joshua 6:16, 20“The seventh time they marched around the city, the priests blew their trumpets. Then Joshua gave the command: ‘Now, shout! The Lord is giving you this city!’…So then the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the trumpets, they began shouting. The walls fell down, and the people ran up into the city. So the Israelites defeated that city” (ERV).Stop to ‘gaze’ at what (WHO) made the walls fall down. Say, “Wow! The walls fell down when the people shouted? How could that happen? What do you think this meant: ‘The Lord is giving you this city’?”Reciprocal reading: tell child that he’ll be the teacher and ask you questions about a passage to be read. Invite the child to stop and dictate a question that might pop into his head while reading. After you’ve written it down, the child will resume reading (continuing with periodic stops as more questions pop into his head). At the completion of the passage, the child will ask you his questions. On occasion, provide an incorrect response so the child will enjoy correcting your answer.Before reading a short passage, set the child’s focus by saying, “After we read this passage, we’ll pray and thank God for something about those words. When the child is finished reading, ask him what he loved most about the passage. Share what you loved. Then pray a short prayer together.Good Habits of QuestioningWe know God doesn’t want us to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed in our minds. Share this kid’s version of Romans 12:1-2 with the child.“So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him—an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way. Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect” (ERV).Tell the child about a group of people who were good at checking what is true (according to the Bible). Read this verse from Acts 17:11.“The people in Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. They were so glad to hear the message Paul told them. They studied the Scriptures every day to make sure that what they heard was really true” (ERV).Discipling a child involves broadening his thinking. It involves helping him understand how other worldviews differ from a biblical worldview. That takes practice. Here’s another verse to share about the importance of questioning.“But test everything. Keep what is good” [1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ERV)]. Assure a child that God will help him think.“I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write my laws on their hearts” [Hebrews 8:10b (ERV)].“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding.” [1 John 5:20a (ERV)].Opportunities to Practice Questioning Secular story books: When reading stories with a child, encourage him to stop and ask, “Is that right?” Fantasy stories not only fun, but are also valuable resources to help children strengthen their biblical thinking. If a character in a book exhibits unusual powers, ask the child, “Can a girl really fly?” Say, “It’s fun to pretend and imagine powers that aren’t real. Who has the greatest power that IS real?”School textbooks: Secular books provide great opportunities for conversations about God. Get children into the habit of asking themselves, “Does this science information match what I know to be true? What does the Bible say about the information? How can I find hints of God’s plan for people in this social studies chapter? Does the Bible have more examples of this type of sentence or part of speech?”Wonder:Young children incessantly ask, “Why?” Sadly, that curiosity phase is often stifled by the busyness of life. Guard against that. Entice the child to remain curious. Promote the continuation of wonderment—for the purpose of gaining greater understanding of God. Adults can spark a life-long desire to wonder about God. Frequently ask, “Why do you think God…? Why did God…? Why does God…? Will God …?”Example: Ask the child, “What happens to us after we die? I wonder if the Bible tells us. Let’s check.”Read verses like: “So we always have confidence. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from the Lord. We live by what we believe will happen, not by what we can see. So I say that we have confidence. And we really want to be away from this body and be at home with the Lord” [2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (ERV)].“But the government that rules us is in heaven. We are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from there. He will change our humble bodies and make them like his own glorious body. Christ can do this by his power, with which he is able to rule everything” [Philippians 3:20-21 (ERV)].Learning from God’s storiesThe Story of His Creation “So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female… God looked at everything he had made. And he saw that everything was very good” [Genesis 1:27, 31a (ERV)].Stories in His Bible “Before the world began, the Word was there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God” [John 1:1 (ERV)].“But these are written so that you can believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you can have life through his name” [John 20:31 (ERV)].His story being written in our life: we are made perfect, loved dearly (sent His only Son to die), given a purpose, always guided by Him (through Holy Spirit and His Word), always protected by HimWe have the story of Christ’s life and death so we get a picture of God’s love and better understand His ways.LivingWho decided how we should live (Whose rules should we follow? Who made the rules?)? Do we have an example to help us know how to act? God gave us certain rules and guidelines to follow in His Word.“God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you” [Colossians 3:12-13 (ERV)].Here is a list of some of the rules God has given us (in “kid language”)Bible Verses for young children-behaviorGod gave us Christ’s example so we know how to live (our standard).Parents give a daily reminder of Christ’s example. Tell the child, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”“Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ” [1 Corinthians 11:1 (ERV)].What’s next? Once we’re certain of God’s love and that we love Him, what do we do? We want to show God how much we love Him.Say, “The pictures you draw for me are very special. I cherish them because that’s your way of telling me that you love me. I love you so much. And so does God. The Bible tells us what we can do once we realize just how much He loves us.” Here are some ways a child can show his love for God:Loving God leads to loving others.“If we say we love God but hate any of our brothers or sisters in his family, we are liars. If we don’t love someone we have seen, how can we love God? We have never even seen him. God gave us this command: If we love God, we must also love each other as brothers and sisters” [1 John 4:20-21 (ERV)]. Loving God makes us want to obey Him. “If you love me, you will do what I command” [John 14:15 (ERV)].“Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us” [1 John 5:3 (ERV)].Loving God makes us want to tell others about Him. “He said to them, ‘Go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News to everyone’” [Mark 16:15 (ERV)].Loving God makes us want to praise and worship Him. “Your faithful love is better than life, so my lips praise you” [Psalm 63:3 (ERV)].“I will praise God’s name in song. I will honor him by giving him thanks” [Psalm 69:30 (ERV)].Loving God makes us want to talk to Him (in prayer). “By my life, I will praise you. In your name, I lift my hands in prayer” [Psalm 63:4 (ERV)].“Anyone can come to you, and you will listen to their prayers” [Psalm 65:2 (ERV)].Loving God makes us think about Him and do everything as if we were doing it for Him. “In all the work you are given, do the best you can. Work as though you are working for the Lord, not any earthly master” [Colossians 3:23 (ERV)].When life gets hard:When things get hard and there are big problems, show the child God’s creation. It reminds the child how big God is. They realize that their problems are very small compared to His power. He has great might to help them with their problems. Examples:Our son was having trouble managing his hyperactivity and got into trouble often. I showed him the beautiful chrysalis of a monarch butterfly. Pointing to the mint-green capsule, painted with dots of gold by God’s hand, I said, “If He can create this by just saying, ‘Let there be…’, then He surely can help you.”Lie on your backs and stare at the night sky. Say, “God is holding those stars and planets in the sky. That same power has created a perfect plan for your life. He’s prepared a place in heaven for those who accept Christ as their Savior. You’re a part of His amazing plan. He wants to use you to reflect His love and to tell others about the hope they can because of Jesus’ death. He’ll teach you lessons you can share with others.” ................
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