Children are such a beautiful gift, and unfortunately today we see more than ever that they are being seen as a burden. This mentality is so far from what God would ever want. It’s our job as Christians to really expose the beauty of parenting. Though children do take a lot of time, resources, patience, and love they are so worth it!
Some of you have told me or made statements on Facebook that people question you, “with how bad the world is, why would you ever want to bring children into it?”
Every recent generation has been questioned like that, I have had friends who have surgically made it so they could not have children because of this type of thinking…scripture tells us just the opposite
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Children are a gift from the Lord and every child is perfect in their own way as a blessing to us they are a direct gift to us from the Lord
Psalm 127: 3-5
Behold, children are a heritage (blessing) from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
Part of their role in your life is simply to be a blessing because of who they are but David is saying they will also defend you as you grow older in both physical ways (arrows in the hand of a warrior) and through civil cases (speak with their enemies at the gate, the gate was a place where civil cases were heard by the city leadership see the story of Boaz and Ruth)
If Children are a gift from the Lord then as long as he is blessing us with them there is hope!
They will do all of this if we look at children right raise them correctly
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
There’s the catch isn’t it what does it mean in this crazy world to raise up a child in the way he should go, the inference being in God’s way.
- A child must be given the tools
Charles Haddon Spurgeon quote
Prince of preachers
“Let no Christian parents fall into the delusion that Sunday School is intended to ease them of their personal duties. The first and most natural condition of things is for Christian parents to train up their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
-Teaching/instruction
Proverbs 1:8,9
My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. 9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.
The primary educator of our children is not the schools, not even the church but the parents….if we want our children to think and act according to our priorities then we must instill the principles that are important to us….or someone else will
– Prayer
Deuteronomy 6:6,7
And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
The idea here is teaching your children to pray, talk and live the word of God…if He indeed created us, designed us for a purpose then His ways are the ones that will truly bless us and knowing His word causes us to know Him and we can easily talk to Him on a regular basis because we know Him as friend and Father.
-Example
Titus 2:6,7
In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.
All of us are to be examples to all the children, whether you have children or not you are living for Christ and for the body of Christ to be an example to all so people can see Jesus in you…words are one thing but a life well lived full of grace, strength, wisdom, laughter, fun, excitement, deep dives into God’s word
- A child must be given the time
Genny Monchamp
“Show your children God’s love by loving them and others as Christ loves you. Be quick to forgive, don’t hold a grudge, look for what’s best, and speak gently into areas of their lives that need growth.”
- Your time Proverbs 22:6 …I mentioned this earlier and here is how it applies
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
I believe the next two verses tie in with it
7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender. 8 He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail.
It is important for you to invest in your children not just the coach, the dance teacher, Children’s church teacher, but you must train you children invest the time and energy so they know they are important to you and that your faith should be important to them. God placed you in chanrge of you child’s future…remember every one should have a Paul, Barnabas, and a Timothy? You children are your Timothys
- Priority of the Lord Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
That athlete or dance body is going to fade, those things are great disciplines but if your children are being taught they are more important than the Lord you have bankrupted your children, whatever faith or lack of will be with them for life…get them involved in these things but keep the priority the KIngdom
- A child must be disciplined
Henry Blackaby …Author of the life changing study “experiencing God”
God is interested in developing your character. At times He lets you proceed, but He will never let you go too far without discipline to bring you back. In your relationship with God, He may let you make a wrong decision. Then the Spirit of God causes you to recognize that it is not God’s will. He guides you back to the right path.”
- Corrected – Proverbs 3:11,12; 10:17; 12:1; 13:1; 29:17
Proverbs 3:11 is the one we hear a lot..
My child, don’t reject the LORD’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. 12 For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
Hebrews 12:11
No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
These are just some of the many benefits of corrected discipline but then there is the discipline of dreaming
- Trained to dream – Psalms 37:4,5
Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. (NKJV)
Dream the big dream God gives…it takes training to believe God for big dreams you start with smaller acts of faith and then you can begin to dream big (I let the kids seek the Lord if they should go with me on overseas trip and then trust him for everything)
If we do this, if we make our children a priority and make the Lord a priority in their lives. They will have the confidence to know who they are, they will know who the Lord is….they will face fear and struggles with confidence, they will take on the lies of our culture with truth
1 John 1:5
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”
The world is full of darkness but taking these steps ensures our children and grandchildren, nieces, nephews will walk in the light and as they are in the light they will trample the darkness…There is no darkness in the Lord and so there should be no darkness in our children.
Will you train your children to be world-changing, devil stomping, on-fire, generation?
This should be your started it will cause them to know the truth and the truth will set them free so they can set a whole generation free!