Raising Children to be after God’s own heart is choosing to put action in loving each other the way God loves us! Choosing to look at the heart! Because of love that comes from God, it overflows into other peoples lives like a never ending waterfall flowing with fresh water! Our children get to experience this overflow of fresh water into their lives by how we love each other in our families, the Body Of Christ and all those who don’t know God’s love yet! We need to remember our children soak up everything we do more than what we say, and they are the future generation! They will see your reactions and expressions when fear sneaks in like a thief in the night who robs you of peace and joy, destroys and kills everything around you including relationships! However, we know the spirit of fear is the enemy and he is a liar! 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Instead, we choose to be led by the Spirit of God who is love and truth! 1 John 4:18 NIV, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” David and Ruth story really touched my heart because it shows how we lead by example even when we make mistakes by persevering in hard times while loving God’s continually in all situations! No one is perfect but when we live out love for God and all people, we will love the way He does! We will seek Him first! In tough circumstances we will fix our eyes on Jesus by trusting Him! We are living out being a person after God’s own heart as we raise our children not to become the world but live in this world loving God and seeking His will for their lives!

I’m sure David heard the special stories about his family Boaz and Ruth! These special stories passed down from each generation show children who God is and even show them what He has done through each generation! We are to teach our children about God and all He has done! Deuteronomy 6:7 NIV, “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” I wonder sometimes if the business of this world through things to do, schedules, entertainment keeps us from or distracts us from sharing stories of what God is doing in our lives by searching scripture! However, we need to keep doing this with our children because God has a promise! Proverbs 22:6 NIV, “Start children off on the way they should go,and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” When we keep teaching our children by loving God and each other, they will be drawn to that love even if you don’t see the fruit yet! We are to either plant or water seeds but it’s God who makes it grow! We just can’t give up on doing good! 1 Corinthians 3:7-9 NIV “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

David had many struggles in his life but he always trusted God and completely depended on Him to get him through each struggle! I’m sure the story of Ruth and Boaz influenced David in a good way! David kept His promise to his friend Jonathan after he became King and invited Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, (outsider) to eat at the table with David, as family! (2 Samuel 9:6-11 NIV) We love each other in the same way choosing to honor others above ourselves by doing what we say we would do even if it’s inconvenient or difficult! However, Friends love at all times, not just when things are going well or when it’s convenient! They love continually under pressure and through conflict! Ephesians 4:2 NIV, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

In the story where David invited Methisosheth to eat at his table is love with a sincere heart that comes from God who loves continually! I love this because it’s a picture of how everyone is invited to be apart of the God’s family and be at the king’s table too! Revelation 3:20 NIV, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” We can Love with a sincere heart knowing Jesus is preparing a place for us right now even as I type this out on my cell phone. Ruth didn’t give up and chose to stay with her mother-in-law through difficult challenges! Galatians 6:9 NIV “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Ruth went to a foreign place where she knew no one! She was an outsider and Boaz noticed her working so hard in the field! He showed her kindness! Boaz was Ruth kinsman-redeemer! (Ruth 3:7-9 NIV) He knew there was someone closer in relationship and had to give him a chance first! (Ruth 3:10-13 NIV) Later on, the closer relative didn’t want to marry her, so they made it legal in front of the ten elders! Boaz married Ruth! (Ruth 4:7-16) She had a son named Obed who later got married and had a son named Jesse. Then Jesse had a son named David. (Ruth 4:18-22 NIV) This is so amazing because this shows us how God has everything under control even when the storms in life hit hard! There will be many struggles in life! Through David’s blood line many years later Jesus is born! The kinsman-redeemer of all of us is Jesus who bought all of us back with His Precious blood! This hit my heart because we are like Ruth an outsider because of sin and Methisosheth invited to the kings table! We can be apart of Gods family when you accept Jesus in your life as your Lord and Savior!

It touched my heart because when your family is invited to stay in your sister in Christ home for a season shows my children and others how we can live out the Kingdom Mindset as we love each other! We would be like outsiders, not apart of the family! Why would someone who is not your blood relative allow you to live with them? God has a perfect plan for each person in the whole world! He has surrounded you with people in your life for a specific reason to grow you , challenge you, and encourage you to not give up on doing what is good at the right time your will reap a harvest if you don’t give up! Matthew 25:40-46 NIV, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ ⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

God shows us how to love and be the kind of friend who looks to the heart first! He shows us how to be the kind of friend who loves deeply even when people around you say, “don’t” because of this, or ask “why” would be loving with a sincere heart and not a divided heart! Loving each other is choosing to listen to understand instead of listening to be heard! It’s encouraging each other in hard circumstances! In the story where David invited Methisosheth to eat at his table is love with a sincere heart that comes from God who loves continually! It like Boaz making sure Ruth has plenty to drink and food to eat! We can Love with a sincere heart knowing Jesus is preparing a place for all those who believe right now! God keeps all his promises and we can have Joy and peace that can’t be taken away! God made a promise Jesus would come through David’s family line! David family is Ruth and Boaz! The stump of Jesse! Jesse is David’s Father! (Isaiah 11:1-11 NIV)

We can love with a sincere heart because Love first comes from God who loves us first! (1 John 4:7-9 NIV) Through Jesus, we can love each other the way He loves us! We can chose Joy and Peace knowing He loves us even in our brokenness, and we don’t have to work or do anything to be loved! He loves us in our mess because God looks at the heart! Our love must be sincere full of compassion as we chose to look at the heart of all people! Romans 12:9-13 NIV “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Sincere means to be real and genuine! It’s choosing to love people and not changing depending on who your with or saying something kind but at the same time, thinking unkind things about them! We need to love for real and not pretend! We need to have a genuine love for each other by seeing everyone the way Jesus does! When you look through God’s eyes as you read scripture, you can see how God love is patient and kind and no matter what we have done, God will never leave you or forsake you! God looks directly to your heart because He knows you completely, even the numbers of hairs on your head! Every person in the world is God’s masterpiece made in Christ Jesus! (Ephesians 2) Love is the opposite of what the world says! It choses not to conform to the patterns of the world! The world doesn’t look at the heart! The world says Lukewarm is good when God says the opposite! Revelation 3:15-16 NIV, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” In order to love the way God loves is to know the one who loved everyone first by sending His one and only Son (Jesus) for everyone! It’s allow God to transform your mind through reading scripture and be in relationship! As you meditate on God’s words from the Bible you will grow to know more about Gods love! When we talk about Jesus to everyone we will learn more through relationships! Love Clings to what is good by choosing to fix your eyes on Jesus in all situations in life because He is the Author and perfecter of our faith! Revelation 21:5 NIV, “He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”