How can children reflect their faith in their everyday lives?

Dr. Joel Beeke emphasizes that the biblical model of building, dwelling, and planting applies not only to parents but to children as well. Children are called to follow in the footsteps of their parents as pilgrims, pleading for their own salvation and believing in Christ alone. They are encouraged to obey and honor their parents faithfully, as this mirrors their attitude toward God. It's essential for children to see their parents walking in God's ways and understand that discipline is rooted in biblical commands, encouraging a cheerful obedience.

As children grow, they are urged to live fully for the Lord, making decisions like choosing a career or a spouse that align with biblical teachings. They should pray for a God-fearing spouse and strive to be one themselves, valuing the church and family as integral parts of life. Children need to approach their future careers with the intention of glorifying God, assessing their gifts, and considering how they can be most useful in God's kingdom.

Colossians 3:23 (NKJV): "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men."

So the model of Jeremiah, where he calls us to build and to dwell and to plan, doesn't only apply to fathers and mothers, but also to children. After all, children are called, aren't they, to action as pilgrims as well, following the footsteps of their parents. And the covenant mercies that come to them, they are called to bow before God with those and first of all to plead for their own salvation and to come just as they are and believe in Christ alone for salvation by the grace of the Holy Spirit, hopefully when they're very young and surrender their entire lives to the Lord. But then they're also called to follow the biblical model of being pilgrims in this world, to obey and honor faithfully and lovingly and cheerfully their father and their mother. And that's a profound reflection of their attitude to God.

You know, very young children often think of their parents almost like their God. I remember my son saying to me after I spanked him one time, he was four years old, yeah. And we were walking out hand in hand, we prayed, we reconciled, we walking out of the so-called sun room, which is our discipline room too. We're walking on hand in hand, he looks up and he goes, Dad, how come you never sin? I'm going like, No, no, no, son, let's go back in the sun room.

And I went back in and I just said to him, look, I'm just as big a sinner as you are. We're all sinners, we all need grace. But what I'm saying is, children have a calling to obey their parents. They feel their conscience, their shortcomings, but then they look at their parents and they say, well, my mom and dad, they're also struggling to obey God in everything and I'm to imitate them the way they respond to God. So it's key that children see their parents walking in the ways of the Lord and that the parents also say to the children, You know, when we punish you or when we have to correct you, we're doing that not because we like to do that, not because we like to spank you when you've been very naughty, but we're doing this because God calls us to do this and therefore they must respond with the way that God is calling them to respond, to obey cheerfully.

And then too I think as children grow older They're to feel this calling to live all of life fully to the Lord. The parents can help with that, to help them have those impressions. But as major life decisions come closer, like what line of work are they going to go into, or who's going to be their future spouse. To really build and dwell and plant in God's way as pilgrims in this earth, they need to do two things. I'll just take the example of a spouse, for example.

They need to be praying for a God-fearing spouse that will be cohesive with them in terms of their views on life, the way they understand biblical doctrine and so on, but also a spouse who will fit their personality and make a God-fearing spouse. That I think most God-fearing young people have no trouble praying for. They want a good spouse. Hopefully they've seen a very good marriage in their parents. They know it's a very beautiful thing and they want something similar.

But here's what many parents forget and many children forget. We should be praying just as much for our kids and they should be praying just as much for our kids and they should be praying just as much for themselves that they are good spouses for their future spouse, right? It works on both sides. So that's the goal. And That's something as a parent, I'm shame-facedly admitting, it wasn't to our children about 10 or 11.

And I suddenly realized, I've been praying like a one-way street. I've just been praying that God will bring them great spouses instead of that God will really bless our efforts to make them great spouses. And so I think that's a key thing, where children need to say, I've got to walk a separate lifestyle from the world, and I'm going to Walk it in the biblical mandate of everything the Bible says about marriage. I'm gonna look for a godfaring spouse, but I'm also gonna Listen to my parents advice and seek to implement that I may be a godfaring spouse and then I think the same thing applies to Cultivate cultivating diligence in not only family life, but also church life. As a child already, we need to be training our children the value of church and how important church is.

That the sermon is the highlight of the week. And you want to cultivate that Pilgrim spirit in children. That my real home on earth is in the church. This is my favorite home. My earthly home may be number two, but my favorite home is the sanctuary of God, where I meet with God, corporately with God's people, and enjoy the worship of God.

So Church, family, you know, they're inseparable. It's not like I got to put one over the other. There are two areas of life that coalesce, that dovetail each other, and then you've got your work as well as children grow up. How do they approach the whole idea of a career and work? I think children need to say, first of all, my purpose is to live for the glory of God.

That's where I get my true happiness, when I live for the purpose for which I was created. So boys and girls, you need to ask yourself the question as you grow up, maybe I've got three ideas, maybe I want to be a doctor, or maybe I want to be a school teacher, or maybe I want to be an electrician or I'm not sure which one. Well you've got to ask yourself questions like this, which one am I most gifted for? Which one can I honor God the most in? Which one can I help the most people?

Which one will open doors of evangelism for me to talk to other people? All of that type of thing. How can I be most useful to God in this pilgrim world?