Each day we have opportunities to show what God is like.  This is especially important in regard to our children.  As spiritual beings, they have a desire to know God and often ask silly questions in their search for answers.  Their yearning for information is our opportunity to help them in spiritual growth.  Here are some ways to make an impact:

• Teach about God as our Heavenly Father (see Deut. 6)
• Weave spiritual lessons into everyday activities
• Openly thank God for nature
• Read the Bible where you kids can see you
• Thank God at each meal
• Place reminders of faith through your home
• Do life with others at church to better connect your kids
• Lead your family to church each week

These are just a few I came up with, what are some of yours?

What would you want your family member to experience this Easter if you knew they would actually come?  If you are a volunteer in the church, that’s exactly how you should look at every Sunday.  The goal should be for every weekend worship experience to overwhelm every guest with God’s love.  This is displayed by our smiles, the way we teach the kids, children’s check in experience, reaching out to include others, and the use of our gifts. 

So, start thinking right now what you would want the church to look like, feel like and be like this Sunday and do your part to make it happen.  Then, do it every week (not just Easter), because you never know who’s life will be changed because of you.

What’s your favorite Bible story?  Chances are – it contains a lot of uncertainty and drama.  How is that when it comes to our lives, we want less uncertainty and less drama?  It seems to me that God does His best work in the worst of times. 

What’s going on currently in your life?  Unemployment? Health issues? Marital challenges? Financial pressures? Teenage rebellion? Fear of the future?  In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us, yet it is challenging to believe that when there is absolutely no evidence of God as work. 

What do you do when you can’t see God’s hand working on your behalf?  Are you tempted to throw in the towel?  Give into your doubts and fears?  It’s in these times that we must learn to develop our faith in what we can’t see or feel.  The Bible is full of illustrations of people who didn’t have life on easy street.  As a matter of fact, probably the characters and stories you like the most are ones who came through the greatest challenges.  This is why the Bible is a great book to read when you have doubts, fears and pressures. 

Tomorrow, we’ll examine this topic in more detail through a message called CERTAIN – UNCERTAINTY.  I’m believing for your faith to grow incredibly stronger as a result.

Where’s your treasure?  The reason this is an important question is Jesus says, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Lu 12:34) 

It works like this, if you put your treasure into the stock market, then your heart will be there.  If you put your treasure into a business, then your heart will be there. 

Our heart follows our treasure, not the other way around according to Jesus, and I’ve seen it myself.  I’ve known people who began dabbling in business ventures and before long that’s all they were about.  They became consumed with following the latest trends, reading online articles, spending more and more time on it, even to the neglect of their family. 

Jesus really isn’t in search of our money or treasure so much as what it represents – our heart.  He knows that wherever you put your treasure, your heart will follow, and that’s His concern.  It should be ours as well.  Where is your heart moving toward today?

What will you teach your children today?  Some will teach how to get angry.  Others, how to be unhappy.  More will show how to be ungrateful and greedy.  While others will demonstrate selfishness.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  We have a choince as parents to impact the next generation and help them to show a greater depth of character than we do. 

The trouble for many is that they don’t understand that they are always teaching something.  Therefore, the question is not “WILL you teach…?” Instead, it’s “WHAT will you teach…?”   Ps 78:4 We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.  5 For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel.  He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, 6 so the next generation might know them-even the children not yet born-and they in turn will teach their own children. 7 So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. 8 Then they will not be like their ancestors-stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.