Raising our children: Part 1
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Searching the Scriptures
David A. Bass, Rockford Church of Christ
Children are one of the greatest blessings that parents can ever have! But with these blessings come tremendous responsibilities.
As parents, we must accept our responsibility to teach and train our children. We read in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
The word “train” literally means “to put something in the mouth,” and this metaphor suggests the feeding of an infant. This “training” comes by instruction, example and discipline.
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). The Bible further states, “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (I Timothy 5:14).
The responsibility of properly raising our children falls upon both the mother and the father. A failure to properly teach, discipline and set a good example before our children can cause untold grief and heartache.
One of the great men of God in the Old Testament was Samuel, the prophet. He served God faithfully all of his life, but he failed to properly raise his children. We read in I Samuel 8:3, “And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.”
One of the problems with Samuel’s children was that he was too busy with other things to properly raise them. He was busy doing the Lord’s work!
“And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places” (I Samuel 7:16).
Too often we are so busy with our jobs, recreation, etc., that we neglect our family. Children, from infants to teenagers, need the guidance that can only come from spending time with mom and dad. Buying gifts, providing the “best” of material things, can never replace the time that we need to spend with our children.
In today’s society there are so many more temptations for children than there were just a few short years ago. YouTube, television, movies, magazines, books, the internet, etc., all provide our children with sex and violence that they are not emotionally ready to handle. For example, many children are given automobiles early in life, and they are not ready to handle the responsibility.
Our children need the proper kind of teaching and instruction from their parents, especially concerning sensitive subjects such as sexual relations. Parents, if we don’t teach our children that sex is “good” and proper in the marriage relationship, but “wrong” and sinful outside of marriage our children may well lose their soul. The Bible says, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
The “world” presents sex as good as long as there is “love,” which is often confused with lust. As parents we need to give our children the proper teaching and training in these areas. The Bible says concerning marriage, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” (Hebrews 13:4).
God knew that children needed loving parents who would teach and guide them until they are mature enough to make these decisions on their own. Lord willing, we will continue these thoughts next week.
Search the Scriptures!
Send your questions or comments to: Dabass1962@bellsouth.net.
