How does God see our Children?
Psalm 127:3-5 say's,
3Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. 5How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
God highly values our children just as He values us. I think it is great that God not only saves us from Hell when we accept His Son Jesus as Lord and Savior, but God wants us to be successful in life too. This becomes obvious when we read the bible and see the many detailed instructions He has given us concerning life. God has given us instructions on how to find our mate, how to function in a healthy marriage, and how to raise our children in a healthy home.
To do this God has given specific instructions on how to parent. Also He has given instructions to the children.
Ephesians 6:1-4 say's,
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. 4And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
As parents we are called to be stewards of our children. A steward is one who maintains another's property. In case you didn't know it, your children don't belong to you. Children are a gift from God, a sacred stewardship temporarily entrusted to parents for the purpose of raising godly people to fulfill God’s
purpose for His world.
Ephesians 6:1-4 above makes a few points that are vital if we are to be Godly parents. The children are to be obedient and to honor the parents. Of course this doesn't come naturally to them. It must be instilled within them. We also see a command to the fathers in verse 4 saying, "And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Of course it is implied also that the mother shouldn't do this either, but why is it that only the father is mentioned? Perhaps, because the mother usually has a greater capacity for patience than a father. I know this was certainly the case with my own parents. Also, it is usually the mother who leads with the nurturing more often than the father. The role of discipline usually falls to the father in most homes. I know growing up I dreaded hearing the words, "You just wait until your father gets home."
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger could also mean don’t over do it in correcting your children or make it hard for them to obey you. Bring them up with Christian teaching in Christian discipline. It is vital that you take your family to church too, for it is good for them to hear Christian teaching from more than just you. You will want to surround them with God's people too!
1 Corinthians 4:14-16 say's,
14I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children.15Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
There is a very basic principle to see here in parenting. The apostle Paul uses metaphorically the word "children" when referring to the people he disciples. Paul points out to us here that children imitate their fathers. This is very true in parenting and as you raise your children you will often find that “More Is Caught Than Taught.” This is known as the Principle of Modeling. If your children see you praying to God, reading the bible, sharing Christ with others, and behaving kindly - then this will impact them in ways that you cannot imagine.
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 say's,
11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
If we are going to instill Godly values into our children then it is essential that we display them to our children. In the above passage we see this means encouraging them (not discouraging them), comforting them (not making them uncomfortable to be around you), and urging them to live lives worthy of God. This means teaching them lessons in accountability and that they will one day have to give an account before God.
Maybe you have not been a Godly parent to you children and the damage has been done already. The good news is - it is never too late to start! Love will cover a multitude of things done wrong. Humble yourself, ask your children to forgive you, and commit yourself to parenting God's way. You'll be amazed at what happens.
Be sure to read the next blog in this series on being Godly Children!
