I was getting some manure for my garden from my neighbor and the conversation turned to religion.

He stated that he could not imagine a god who would … What he could not imagine is not important. The important part is his initial statement – “he could not imagine a god who …”

This is a fundamental problem we have as people. We have convinced ourselves that God should operate just as we think He should.

Somehow, we have decided that God should be what we think, and do what we deem right. We have placed ourselves in the position of telling God what He should be doing, how He should judge others, and ultimately what standards he should use to make those judgments.

Bottom line – we have placed ourselves above God. He should be coming to us for advice.

It sounds just like our children.

They want to tell us what is right and how we should judge them. They argue with us about standards of behavior because they know better. They don’t want to do the chores we ask of them because it is not on their agenda. They want to rule because they do not want to be under authority. Yet Jesus admired those who knew how to be under authority (Luke 7:7-9).

Teaching your children who God is and the importance of His authority is vital. You also demonstrate the practicality of that authority in how you order your life and the life of your family.

Is God important enough for you to live out the command, “if you love me, you will keep my commands” (John 14:15). What are those commands? Does your list line up with God’s scriptural list?

Your behavior in this area will tell your children just what you think is important concerning God’s authority. Either God is the boss or we are. Do we love Him enough to admit that He is the boss? And act like it?