Know Christ. . . Parent Kids — 1 John 1:1-2

John, the disciple Jesus loved, was an old man when he wrote his three letters to the church. His exile on the Island of Patmos where he penned the book of Revelation was past, and he was pastoring, likely in Ephesus.

John addressed his readers as “children” thirteen times in the five chapters of first John alone. He viewed his audience as his own spiritual children and viewed himself as their spiritual father. As a result, He offers many insights about how to parent.

We find the first bit of wisdom in 1 John 1:1-2. John’s first point is that he has had first hand
experience of Christ, the One who was “from the beginning,” “the Word of Life,” and “the eternal life that was with the Father.” John had heard this Christ, seen this Christ, observed this Christ, and touched this Christ.

Do you have firsthand knowledge of this Christ to share with your teen? Have you heard His voice today in His Word, the Bible? Have you sensed the leading of His Spirit today as you read and prayed? Do you know the touch of His encouraging and correcting hand through the Church?

It is impossible to teach your teen what you don’t know. So make it a point today to know Jesus more. . . in His Word, Spirit, and Body. If we don’t know Jesus firsthand, we cannot parent as God created us to parent. Without firsthand knowledge of Christ, parents can merely raise nice, law-abiding teens.

Parenting out of firsthand knowledge of Christ, however, leads teens to recognize Jesus when they see Him, know what it is they need to become, rightly evaluate themselves compared to Christ, and want Him with all their hearts. What firsthand knowledge have you passed on to your teen today?