Mrs. Alexandra Kpikpi
We need to remember that no matter how gifted we are as a Christian, it does not amount to much if we do not have love.
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. …
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:1-8 and 13)
The love we are urged to show in 1 Corinthians 13 is not just for adults! Children are people too! Just as God, our Father, has demonstrated His overflowing love for us, so He wants us to show the same kind of abundant love to our own children. Sadly, very often, we are more concerned with how our children are behaving than about how much we are loving them or how much they feel loved by us. We wish they would listen to us more and do as we say.
But here is a saying that we as parents should all remember: Our children won’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.
In other words, if we want our children to listen to us and follow our example, if we want them to get to know the Saviour who has been so good to us, then we need to make sure – first – that they know that we love them.
Why would you listen to someone if you don’t feel loved by them?
Here are some other very important reasons why we need to be sure our children know that we love them:
Next time we will look at how we can help our children know how much we love them.