Day 14: Goodness

by | Jun 21, 2011 | 21 Days of Prayer for Sons

When we think about Goodness, we often think of the Good things that we do – I gave to charity. I helped the little old lady across the street. I help in the soup kitchen once a week. I have given my life in service for God. And the bad things we don’t do – I don’t lie, I don’t steal, I don’t cheat. I didn’t smack that guy in the face like I wanted to. It’s all about me. I. I. I.
My righteousness. My efforts to prove I am worthy. But…

“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; 
there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; 
there is no one who does good, not even one.’ ” 
Romans 3:10-12 NIV

When I do good for my own glory, for the praise of men, I’m just a Pharisee – beautiful on the outside but dead on the inside. But when I allow God’s Goodness to work in me, His Righteousness to shine through me, then I know that any good that I do is for His Glory and His Fame. I pray that I can impart this to my son (and my daughter), and capture their hearts for Jesus.

From the Leader’s Guide:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
(Matthew 23:27-28, ESV)

Question: In our efforts to raise our sons are we teaching them that if they do good things they are good? Righteous even? If we teach them that being good is all it takes, if our discipline and training focuses on their behavior, how will they know they need a Savior?
Are we raising little Pharisees? Or are we raising Godly men with a heart for God? If a Godly son is your goal, you must aim for the heart. Because unless the heart is changed–touched–the behavior will stay the same. It might look a little different, morph some as they grow. But behavior is always a symptom of the state of the heart. What’s in the heart, comes out.

“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” ~Matthew 12:34

Ask yourself these questions:
• What parenting tools have I been using that only focus on changing behavior and not the heart? Am I willing to lay them down even if they produce what looks like a good child?
• Reaching a child’s heart takes time. Behavior modification is much faster! Am I willing to change things about my life so that I have the time to invest in the hearts of my children?
• Most importantly: Am I willing to submit my own heart to God and allow Him to mold me from the inside out?