What our children truly need from us...doesn't cost a dime!

We sat watching our children. 
We see how they have grown. 
We see how they act and react to situations around them. 
We hear their responses to different circumstances. 
We recall the many times of reproof and correction, knowing there are many more to come. 
We hear what they talk about with each other. 
We know we are on the right track, because Satan is working over-time these days.  And then we hear message after message that confirms in our hearts and minds that there is something more important than any thing we can give our children. 
"We want our children to have so much more." 
I hear those words and fear rises in my throat, and I want to ask the question, "Are you ready for what it will cost you?"  I am not a kid anymore.  I have a few years on me now.  I have seen some of the outcomes of this line of thinking.  I have seen and heard the heartbreak that was involved, and I wonder...if parents could now go back...knowing what they know now...would they have chosen a different way?
III John 1:4
We are all mixed up in our thinking, and the ones who are paying dearly are our children.  They have the latest and greatest toys and movies, but know nothing about how God wants them to live.  They can operate any technological device, but don't know where to find Proverbs in their Bible.  Often, they can't even find their Bible.  They can quote line after line from movies they watch, but they can't recall a single memory verse.  They can sing every commercial jingle and movie lyric, but look at the church teacher cross-ways when we sing spiritual songs.
So-called Christian parents are raising a generation that will do what they want, when they want, where they want, how they want, totally disregarding what God wants. 
I John 5
They have everything the world offers.  Their rooms, closets, and toy boxes are filled with every imaginable thing that "will make them happy" till the next talked about fad.  We have filled their line of vision with so much stuff, our children can't see and think straight.  As parents, we are sometimes frustrated and embarrassed by their behavior.  Yet, we simply won't follow and do what God says is the best.  He gave a simple plan with simple, straight-forward directions.   Satan plants the seed of doubt and question, and we listen and fall into the same trap that Eve and Adam did.  Satan laid the foundation for this world's system.   And once again the creature is questioning the Creator! 
Moms, we question and fight with our spouses, because we think we know better "because of how we feel about this and that".  Our feelings change with our moods and our husbands get tired of fighting, give up, and give in.  Satan knows that if he can get Mom where he wants her, the stage is set once again.  It worked with Eve, and it will work again and again.  It is interesting...the weaker vessel is the woman...the first person Satan attacks in the family...the wife/mother.  Our first struggle is with contentment.  Some of the first people that see that struggle and  who are affected by it...our children...because they are usually the ones that are around us the most!  We have then taught them...by our example.   What leads us to make wrong choices...the lack of contentment!
Satan has clouded our judgment with all the noisy advice of this world.  We have left our Bibles on the shelf by the back door or under the backseat of the car.  God created the family to accomplish His purpose.  He gave us the manual with all the answers, and most of us never open it.  We read everything else, listen to Oprah, and search the internet to self-diagnose. 
We have complicated our lives!  God never intended for us to operate this way.  Satan has distorted God's perfect plan.  We have quadrupled the cost of the average family's needs because we can't say, "No!" to our selfish desires.  We question the fact that God really does know what is best for us...maybe not with our exact words...but definitely by our actions!
What our children truly need from us, doesn't cost a dime!  The one thing that all of us have been given is time.  24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for approximately 18 years.  The problem...we satisfy our selfish, sinful nature and we squander our time on things that won't matter for eternity.  The only things we can take into eternity...our children!
How have you spent your time...
teaching your children about God and what He expects,
talking and listening to their concerns and questions about real life issues, 
applying God's Words to specific needs and fears,
memorizing verses that they can recall in times of trouble, 
singing praises for what He has done,
getting your family to Sunday School/church/kid's activities that will build them up,
reading God's Word each day to equip them for the temptations of the day,
and praying for needs/concerns? 

I can't think of anything more that I want for our children!  When Satan comes to tempt and lure God's children away from the right path...all the stuff that we dedicated our time and energy into getting for our children...won't be worth one cent!
Tell me...what cost are you willing pay?