Jump Start # 3579

Matthew 3:17 “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’”

We are in the season of honoring our parents. Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June. The family is important to God. He designed it. He instructed it. He used it as illustrations of greater spiritual lessons. And, in a way we may not often consider, God shows us a vital aspect of parenting.

Our verse today comes from the baptism of Jesus. The context tells us that He was baptized to fulfill righteousness. The Lord didn’t need to be baptized as I did. The forgiveness of sins was not attached to His baptism. However, the baptism of Jesus demonstrates that there was nothing Jesus asks of us, He did not first do Himself. Baptism is one such thing. Those who ridicule baptism as a work and unnecessary and even offering different modes of baptism miss the essence of what the Scriptures are teaching. Baptism was part of that commissioned message that the apostles were sent into all the world with to preach.

Here at the baptism we find three lessons about parenting:

First, the Father was there. He saw what Jesus was doing. I’ve seen many parents in the stands, but they weren’t there. The whole time they are on their phones talking or playing games, or had their face buried in a book. Sure they attended, but they were there. The Father saw. Your presence in your child’s life is something that they will remember the rest of their lives. Make it a priority to be there. You’ll skip things you want to do, because you need to be where your child is. And, when you do go, don’t make the child feel bad because you missed the ballgame on TV or didn’t get to do what you wanted to. Guilting the child is not much better than neglecting the child. The Father was present.

Second, the Father made His presence felt. He proclaimed the relationship and His feelings. My Beloved. I’m well pleased. Jesus knew. God expressed His feelings towards His Son. The Holy Spirit was sent and descended as a dove upon Jesus. The hug. The kiss. The high-five. The smile. The “that-a-boy.” It was more than just feeling His presence, it was a positive experience. My Son. I’m well pleased. I’ve been to far too many little league ballgames and dad was in the stands, but he was screaming at his son for striking out, missing a catch and the child just dropped his head in shame. Make your child glad you are there. You don’t want him to see you walking up and thinking, “Oh, great. Dad’s here.”

Third, God didn’t tell this to Jesus in secret. Before all, He declared, “This is my beloved Son.” God was declaring the deity and relationship of Jesus. Earlier in this chapter, as John the prophet is preaching, we read, “Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around Jordan” (5). Verse seven says, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism…” It is in verse 13, that Jesus comes to be baptized. Was this large crowd still gathered there? Did they all hear the words spoken from Heaven?

It is said that every person needs three things in a relationship. To be loved. To be accepted. And, to be approved. And, when that isn’t found in a home, a person will find it somewhere, even if it is with the wrong people. The Father demonstrated all three of these things in that one declaration He made at Jesus’ baptism.

Has it been a while since you told your kids that you love them? How about, “I’m proud of you”? Are you busy in their lives? Do they have to beg and beg before you will finally agree to come and play them? Are you quick to change your schedule to be with your family?

Lionel Richie, the great singer and songwriter had a quote from his dad. He said, “Enjoy coming home.” Lionel asked him why? He said, “There’s coming a time when you can’t come home.” When asked what he meant, his dad said, “The house will be there, but the people in the house won’t be there.” Lionel said this at the end of a documentary about making the song, “We are the world.” He was sitting in the very studio room where that song was recorded. He said that room was his “home.” He pointed and said, Michael (Jackson) was standing right over there. But, he’s no longer here. Over there, he pointed, was where another pop sensation stood, but now has passed away. The house is here, but the people in the house no longer are.

And, so it is with us. Enjoy coming home…

Roger

Jump Start # 951

Matthew 3:17 “And behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Our verse today took place when Jesus was baptized. The Holy Spirit descended as a dove and the Father spoke from Heaven. This is one of the places we see the Trinity. This verse is used for many great lessons but one we don’t think about is parenting. The Father was pleased with Jesus. He expressed that to Him and to the world. Jesus was the perfect son. He was obedient, focused and literally perfect. He did the will of the Father. He spoke the words of the Father. He fulfilled the plan of the Father. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for us.

There is a parenting lesson for us here, especially for dads, but moms are included as well. It is valuable for us to compliment our children. As parents we drive and push and plead with our kids. We want the best for them. We want them to try. Sometimes they don’t seem to care. They may not care about school and we know that this is wasted opportunity if they do not get on the ball. We see them being lazy and sloppy. In some teenagers room, it’s been a long time since the parent has seen the carpet because of all the clothes, papers and stuff that is on the floor. It’s a pig pen and worse of all, it doesn’t seem to bother the kid. They can get sloppy in the way they look, especially boys. Bed hair, wrinkled clothes, unshaven, sloppy drives moms to scream. It doesn’t seem to bother them. We want our children to do well. We’d like to see them on the honor roll. We’d like to see them make varsity. We like to see them get scholarships for college. Too often, the parents like that, but the kids don’t care. He doesn’t care if he makes the team or not. He doesn’t care if he’s honor roll or not. This is when all the lectures, the pleading, the threats, the pulling your hair out takes place. We, as parents, do get that they don’t get it.

Been there? I have. My youngest would never clean his car out. The back seat was full of trash—wrappers from McDonalds, school papers, coke cans, French fries and junk. I threatened him over and over about cleaning his car out. I told him I feared that he would die in a car wreck from flying debris. On day I had it. It was trash day. I told him if it wasn’t cleaned out that day, he was riding the big yellow school bus. That’s worse than death to a high school kid. The trash truck came by. He loaded up two trash cans. They waited and watched. They laughed. They told him that he had more trash in his back seat than they had in the trash truck. The thing that bothered me the most about all of this wasn’t the trash in the back seat, it was that it bothered me, but it didn’t bother him. I soon saw there were many things like that. Then it occurred to me that I was always riding the kids about something. There was always something not right. Every day, it was “do this.” Every day. I thought, when was the last time I complimented them? When was the last time I let them know that they were great kids? Boy, once that hit me, it really hit me. I didn’t want them leaving home with the impression of dad as the guy who is always grumpy about something. I started finding things that they did that was impressive. There were several things. They were always there. I just couldn’t see them because I was so focused upon trash in the back seat of a car.

I share all of this with you to remind you to praise your children. Home ought to be the place where we are glad to have each other. Say it. Show it. This is true of husbands and wives as well as parents to their children.

God was well pleased with Jesus. He let Him know that. God spoke through the heavens. All those around Jesus could hear what the Father said. Hugs, kisses, compliments, high fives, fist bumps ought to be regular and natural in the home. Praise the kids. Celebrate victories. Encourage them on the defeats. In doing all of this, you build character and confidence in them. You are showing them how they need to parent some day. As they grow they will see how special those moments are. Too few get compliments at work. Often life beats us up and drains all of our energy. We drag our selves home and then, if the home is not right, we get even more complaining. Is it any wonder that in some many homes, everyone goes to their own room and shuts the door. They don’t want to be around one another. They had enough trouble at work and school and they simply do not feel like any more at home. Sad. Don’t let your home be that way. Catch what you are saying to your kids. Your tone of voice, your choice of words, your negativity, your attitude—do you need to make some adjustments? Has it been a while since you said, “Well, done.”

Give it a try. You’ll see more brightness in them and you may actually find that they want to hang around you. It’s a great thing!

Roger