7 Steps To Building A Christian Family Part 3 [Archive]

Please pray for Dave and Bethlie as they continue this season of pause on the podcast. If you're a brand new listener or a orignal listner from 6 years ago, we're sure this series will be a blessing.

Series Recap

1. Fear God — To fear God, kids must first know God (can't stand in awe of someone unfamiliar).
2. Keep God First — God takes priority over comfort, convenience, and blessing.

• A home can look put together (loving spouses, "good kids," active church attendance) and still fail at these principles. None of this happens by accident; it requires deliberate, daily practice.
• Parents can "perform" faith at church, but they cannot fool their own family — kids sense whether God is genuinely first.

Step 3 (this episode): Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

• "No one rebels against that which they love." What you love becomes obvious to others (illustrated humorously via sports team loyalty).

How to Train Kids to Love God

In the good times:

• Teach kids to be thankful. Teach them to be thankful for each other (birthdays, Father's/Mother's Day, graduations), and for God's provision through others (writing thank you notes).
• Prioritize church attendance even when life is comfortable — ease is often when people quietly deprioritize God.
• Invest financially/practically in opportunities for kids to encounter God (e.g., sending kids to summer camp despite the cost).

In the dark times:

• Personal Example: loss of children (infant loss), loss of both of Bethlie's parents, church transitions, ministry conflicts/misunderstandings.
• Foundation matters: loving God consistently in good times prepares a family not to be "blown out of the water" by hard times.
• Framing for kids: hardship isn't God abandoning the family — it's the reality of living in a fallen/sin-cursed world; God remains good and can grow us through difficulty.
• Model consistency: continue church attendance, Bible reading, prayer, and kindness within the home even when discouraged — kids watch whether parents' faith holds up under pressure.
• Have honest, age-appropriate conversations with kids about what's happening and reaffirm the family's commitment to keep loving God through it.
• Serving others during hard times shifts focus off self and onto others — described as "powerful."
• Callback to Episode 1 theme: "serve the Lord with gladness" — serving happily in both good and bad times testifies to love for God.
• Caution on guarding the tongue (referencing James 1:26) — complaining/negativity undercuts a credible testimony of loving God, especially in front of children.

Closing Thought

• "Love is never stagnant — it is either growing or declining.
• "Relationship with God requires ongoing, active pursuit, not a one-time declaration.
• Summary challenge to listeners: fear God, keep God first, and love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength — then train the next generation to do the same.