Teach Them: The Joys of Heaven

Our children must learn what it means to enter into the eternal Sabbath, that is, to be freed altogether from sin, to be made perfect in holiness and righteousness, and to worship and serve God and the Lamb in the sanctuary of heaven, world without end. We should show them the beauty and the joy of heaven by fixing their minds on heavenly things. Colossians 3:1–2 says: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Unless we teach our children about the beauties and joys of heaven, they cannot meditate upon them; without such heavenly treasure, their minds can only wallow in the filth of this world.

You have rich opportunities to teach your children these glorious and eternal truths from God's Word. Beyond these ten examples, however, the Bible is replete with many more treasures of truth from which to choose. You need to challenge yourself as God's covenant representative, as a parent-prophet to our children, faithfully to teach and model the truths of "the whole counsel of God," and the life of obedience to Christ that is rooted in them. As you faithfully teach them these things, pray that the promise-keeping God will work in their hearts.

This excerpt is taken from Parenting By God's Promises by Joel Beeke.

See also:

• Teach Them: Who God Is and What He Is Like
• Teach Them: The Seriousness of Sin
• Teach Them: About Hell
• Teach Them: The Moral Law
• Teach Them: The Necessity of the New Birth
• Teach Them: The Lord Jesus Christ
• Teach Them: The Atoning Blood of Christ
• Teach Them: The Necessity of Faith in Christ
• Teach Them: Sanctification and Holiness
• Teach Them: The Joys of Heaven