Are Your Children Safe? 6/10/2013

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."  Eph 6:4

As a product of a military family, I had the privilege of growing up in many different parts of the world.  One of the places that stands out is Germany.  Of course there are many reasons why this was a memorable experience but one of them was that there was one American channel, which only broadcast in black and white, and every night at 10 PM, just before broadcasting concluded for the day, a message came across that said, "It's 10 o'clock.  Do you know where your children are?"

Beloved, just as those were the last hours of the day, these are the last days of the age.  And just as an inquiry was being made about the safety of the children, today, we must ask the same question.  Naturally we are concerned about our children's physical and emotional well being, but do we know where our children are spiritually?  The reality is that by the grace of God, they will one day become adults.  As we teach them everything else, from walking to speaking to reading and running, we must ensure that a relationship with God is just as important if not more than everything else we stress.  As we are held accountable by God for our behavior and belief, so to will they be.  It is therefore critical that we prepare them.

Some may be unsure how to go about giving the kids spiritual training.  The answer is that it is accomplished the same way we teach them everything else.  They must be able to observe it in us, receive direct instruction from us and that it be a part of their every day lives.  Better put, "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" Deut 6:6-9.  As much as we might be satisfied with taking the kids to worship with us and letting the bible school teachers provide their training, we must understand that the responsibility belongs to the parents and that the church is merely a help.  So much more is accomplished in the day to day at home than in an hour on Sunday.

Finally, it is important to start early.  As children age, the influences from outside the home will grow to equal and perhaps surpass the influences at home.  A firm foundation can help guard against those things that are counter to the will of God.  This foundation can only be established by parents.  It's 10 o'clock.  Know where your children are because of where you have placed them and because you are there with them.

Committed,

Lee

Equipped for Parenting-DD 3/15/2011

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Eph 6:4

The role of the family in a child's development is to love, nurture and teach. Naturally there are many things that go into each of these categories, but the point is that parents have a responsibility to their children.

When we look around at the world we live in, it is not unusual to wonder what is really going on. Why is there so much death, destruction, fighting, corruption and unrighteousness? We see bad acting on the part of both children and adults. A breakdown in family love, nurturing and teaching is most surely at the root of our problems. According to the US Census Bureau, there are approximately 13.7 million single parents in the United States today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.8 million children (approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.S. today). This is not how God intended the family to be structured. Parenting is more than a full time job and requires all the help and resources we can get. This is not a criticism of single parents, but a lament against things that cause these situations to be so...whatever they may be. Children need the positive influence of both parents whether they are together or not.

Beloved, we must return to a focus on the family. Marriages must not be entered into lightly and must survive. We must not be unequally yoked. We must be willing to give instruction in the Lord at least as much time as karate, soccer, baseball and scouts. Just as we prepare our children to thrive and survive in the world, we must with even greater fervency, prepare them for eternity.

Loving Like Jesus,

Lee