Easy recipe for spoiled fruit
- Start with lots of blessings.
- Let those blessings turn to rot.
- Romans 6:1; 2:4
Examples of spoiling
- Giving too much permission
- Giving too much stuff
- Giving too much discipline
Why do we spoil our children?
- Selfishness – easier to give stuff than sacrifice:
- My time
- My effort
- My preferences
- My emotional comfort
- My pride
- My ease
- Misguided compassion
- Giving all my time
- Giving all my effort
- Giving them all their preferences
- Preserving their emotional comfort
- Reinforcing their pride
- Making them always at ease
The danger of spoiling your kids …
- Destination without the journey
- They will try to start their adult lives with all that you have now, starting at the point that it took you decades to reach.
- Creates a selfish, entitlement mentality.
- Something is wrong if:
- Others don’t serve me
- I don’t get my way
- I don’t get what I want, when I want it
- Creates expectations, defines normal
- Discontentment
- Rebellion
- Foolish, near-sighted decisions
Spoiled … fruitful?
- Galatians 5:22-23
- Imagine the outcome if you spoil your child with …
- Deuteronomy 6:5-9 – Time spent daily as a family in devotion to God, reading, meditating on, and discussing His word together.
- I Thessalonians 5:16 – Rejoicing in the Lord.
- Ephesians 4:29 – Days filled with words of exhortation.
- I Thessalonians 5:17 – Praying frequently.
- Hebrews 12:11 – Discipline for their good, yielding peaceful fruits of righteousness.
- Ephesians 4:3; Hebrews 13:1; John 13:35 – Peace and unity in the local church.
Beware!
- They might reach the destination without the same struggles of your journey.
- You may create someone obsessed with receiving an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled.
- They may think something is wrong if:
- Days are filled with entertainment and self-satisfaction
- There is complaining
- Words are used idly and for tearing down
- Others are quick to gossip
- Life is undisciplined and fulfilling the desires of the flesh
- There is division and unrest among brethren
- They may have unrealistic expectations that clash with the reality of those around them, living a life …
- Discontentment with others’ apathy toward spiritual things
- Rebelling against society inciting others to rise up, too
- Making foolish decisions with eternity in mind
But the danger still holds true
- They must learn spiritual wealth does not come easy
- It takes their investment and effort
- It needs their growth mindset
- They must defend against thieves who would swindle them of their inheritance
- They have to cherish and value it – understand how much they must be willing to give up for it
- Time
- Effort
- Preferences
- Emotional comfort
- Pride
- Ease
How should we proceed?
- Deuteronomy 8
- Deuteronomy 8:2-5 – Give discipline, direction, provision, and hunger
- Deuteronomy 8:6-14 – With reward and warning
- Deuteronomy 8:16 – With purpose (Hebrews 12:10)
- Deuteronomy 8:18