Ephesians Raising Children in the Light of the Gospel

• 09/13 Ephesians 3:14-21 (Ephesians 3:17)
• 09/20 Ephesians 4:1-16 (Ephesians 4:2)
• 09/27 Ephesians 4:17-32 (Ephesians 4:32)
• 10/4 Ephesians 5:1-20 (Ephesians 5:1)
• 10/11 Ephesians 5:21 – 6:9 (Ephesians 6:4)
• 10/18 Ephesians 6:10-24 (Ephesians 6:10)

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Rooted and Grounded in Love

Ephesians 3:14–21

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, Ephesians 3:17

Strengthened by the Spirit (v. 14–16)

• Paul begins with prayer.
• Paul prays that believers would be strengthened with power.
• We need God's strength to parent well.
• When you feel overwhelmed as a parent, what do you instinctively turn to for strength?

Rooted in Christ's Love (v. 17-19)

• Paul prays that Christ would dwell in believers' hearts.
• Paul uses the picture of being “rooted and grounded in love.”
• Paul wants believers to comprehend the vastness of Christ's love.
• Parenting Connection: Children need to experience love, not just hear about it.
• The way we love our children can become a window through which they begin to understand God's love.

Trusting God's Power (v. 20-21)

• God is able to do more than we can ask or imagine.
• God's power is already at work within us.
• God deserves the glory.
• Parenting Connection: Release the illusion of control.
• Control is not the same as influence

Understanding the Passage

• What do the words “rooted” and “grounded” communicate about the Christian life?
• Why is understanding Christ's love so important to spiritual maturity?
• What does Paul mean when he describes the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ's love?
• How does this passage move us from knowing about God's love to experiencing God's love?

Parenting Application

• What does each of my children seem to need most from me right now: encouragement, attention, affection, listening, boundaries, or reassurance?
• When my child makes a mistake, does my first response communicate connection or disappointment?
• How can I create more opportunities for meaningful connection with each child?
• What distractions most often interfere with my ability to be fully present?
• How can I make prayer a natural part of our family's daily life?

Personal challenge the week of 09/13

• Write down your answers to these questions:
• When do I feel most loved by God?
• When I feel stressed, how does that affect the way I treat my children?
• Am I parenting primarily from love or from fear?
• What am I trying to control that I need to entrust to God?
• What do I want them to understand about God's love because of the way I love them?
• Then complete this sentence:
• Because I am rooted in Christ’s love, I can _______ instead of ______

Parenting challenge the week of 09/13

• Spend 20 uninterrupted minutes together. During those 20 minutes:
• Let them choose the activity.
• Put away distractions.
• Ask three questions:
1. What has been the best part of your week?
2. What has been the hardest part of your week?
3. Is there anything you wish I understood better about you?
• Speak one specific affirmation.
• Tell your child something you genuinely appreciate about who they are—not simply something they accomplished.
• End by praying together.