Question
to be answered:
How
do I move my children from being self-focused to being God focused?
Introduction:
What
does a healthy self-esteem look like?... Jesus- and his example of living as a
child of God. Ironically, greater self- confidence happens when a person moves
away from focus on self and towards focus on God.
Matthew
16:25 “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for me will find it.” As parents we should model this Christ-like way of losing
ourselves with our kids by doing as scripture commands: move focus from self to
God such as worship, prayer, service and community
When
you hear self-esteem what comes to mind?
Do
you feel our society is overemphasizing building self-esteem in our children?
Can
self-denial and self-esteem co-exist? Why or why not?
Point
1: Model awe of God and his grace.
Colossians
1:15-23
Look
at all of the qualities and attributes of Jesus that are noted here.
Verses
16-17 says “all things were created by him and for him. He is before all
things, and in him all things hold together” What does this mean?
What
can you do to model proper worship of God to your children? How might your
worship center upon the attributes mentioned in the scripture?
What
does the worship of the God describe here say about forming your own self-
image? that of your children?
Point
2: Model faith in God and his grace.
“Entitlement”
of our children
Luke
11:1-13
How
should be approach God?
What
does this say about God and his goodness?
How
can daily dependence on God, through prayer, properly align one’s self-image?
Depending
on God for everything from bread to forgiveness takes self- reliance off of us
and makes way for God’s daily, satisfying goodness of His providing for
everything.
Point
3: Model self-sacrifice to honor God and his grace.
Our
society promotes consumerism as helping us feel good. Our children that get
this message may try to constantly “get” things yet will continue to remain
unhappy. How will this effect their future?
Healthy
self-esteem involves understanding how deeply and unconditionally we are loved
and valued by God. Therefore as we understand God’s love, we will see that
possessions are not an end in themselves, but the means to glorify God and
bless others.
1
John 3:17
Philippians
2:3-11-
Verse
3- “in humility consider others better than yourselves” how can this co-exist
with a healthy self- image?
Verse
4- what are some interests of others around you?
What
are some of your interests or those of your children that steer towards
selfishness?
Christ’s
humility is evidence of his great power. Although he did not give up his divine
qualities he chose to take on the roles of “human” and “servant”.
Verse
9-11
Teaching
children that confidence and a belief that God can and does act and work
through them can help with a healthy self-esteem. This shows the importance of
living life as a mission of service towards others. (Operation Inasmuch!) J
Taking
on God’s sacrificial “nature of a servant” helps us and our children be more
like Jesus.
Point
4: Model community to demonstrate God’s grace
Acts
2:41-47
What
was the effect of the gospel message upon this community of people? What
specific activities were the believers dedicate to in the church?
Church
was involved in 4 basic activities: learning, caring, fellowship and worship.
How
does your church experience match with this Acts description of the early church?
Conclusion:
It
is our responsibility to help our children be rescued from self-hate or doubt
and brought to a place where they see themselves as unique, beloved creations
of their heavenly father.
How
can we do this?
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