their children by teaching them “God-awareness: the understanding that God defines what is right and good and wise, not me.” Read aloud Proverbs 26:1-11 , noting in each verse how hopeless is the plight of a fool ( v.2 is a bit tangential). Now read v.12 : who is more hopeless than even a fool? Discuss examples, from everyday life, history and personal experience, of the disastrous results of being wise in one’s eyes, that you can use to heart-train your child in its avoidance. 4. The great foe of God-awareness is idolatry: “The child that you gave birth to is an idolator, like the rest of us. Sin by its very nature is idolatrous and puts other things in God’s place.” In the culture of the Old Testament, idols were primarily fabricated, physical objects used as proxies in worship. But read aloud Colossians 3:5-6 and 1 Peter 4:1-5 . What do these New Testament writers identify as immaterial, internal manifestations of idolatry? In your own experience, what other immaterial forms does idolatry assume that are not nearly so conspicuous as these? 5. What is “the most seductive idol of all idols”—and the ultimate heart problem with every form of rebellion? As we learned in a previous session, unless children are trained to do otherwise, whom will they always tend to insert into God’s position? Who often sits on your own throne? Read aloud 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 . What did Christ’s mission accomplish regarding the idolatry of self? 6. In dealing with the selfishness of, for example, siblings refusing to share, why is asking the question, “Who had it first?” entirely beside the point? What better question should you ask to help your children get to the heart of the matter? Can this same question be asked in basically every selfish situation? How Did It Go Last Week? Share your successes and trials with the group. (10 minutes) What were some of the questions from your children in response to your teaching them about discipline? Were there some questions you were not able to answer? What are some key learnings from your further study about God’s discipline of his people?
Session 7
GETTING TO THE HEART OF PARENTING
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