MEMORY VERSE: For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Genesis 18:19
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 119:1-6, Proverbs 31:1, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Your children belongs to God not you. Psalm 127:3 says this: “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” You are only a caretaker or guardian to your children and as such, you are expected to raise them to be useful for their parents i.e. God. You are expected to train them in a particular way. Proverbs 22:6 says this: “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The question is this, what is the way they should go? In the way of the Lord i.e. in the right path – to fear God,to be humble, to respect God and man, to serve God first, men second and their nation, to be a law abiding citizen, to be loving and kind towards people, etc. This is where many parents fail; they train their children to hate certain people. Some single mothers train their children especially daughters to hate their fathers. Some fathers do this too. Some train their children to tell lies and play tricks. One thing most parents do not know is that children learn by observation a lot. They see how mummy talks behind Dad’s back and they learn it. They see how dad talks to mum and they learn it.
Another mistake many parents make is they tell their children about the way they should go. God did not ask you to tell your children about the way they should go, the instruction is "train them in the way they should go." Training is more than telling. Training is making sure someone does something correctly until it becomes a habit. Train that young girl on how to cook and take care of the house until she learns it and it becomes her second nature. Train that young boy on taking responsibilities until he learns it and it becomes his second nature. Train those children on how to take care of things. Many children act as a ‘devourer’ because they have not been trained to look after things. If you do not train your children on how to look after things, you will end replacing the furniture and gadgets at home every 6 months. They must be trained to be honest. Honesty must rewarded and deception must not be tolerated. Training may involve the use of the rod of correction but it must be in love. Proverbs 19:18 says this: “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” Training can become too late. There is a time to train your children; the bible puts it as "while there is hope" i.e.while they are young.
Children must be trained to respect the words of their parents. If they are not trained to respect the words of their parents, they will not respect anyone -including God -without first experiencing the painful consequences of their actions. When a child is not properly trained, it affects everyone negatively. Eli’s failure to train his children affected not only his own family very negatively, but also caused disaster for the nation of Israel (1 Samuel 4:10-11). When Eli’s sons behaved badly, the Lord held Eli accountable not their mother. God places primary responsibility on fathers to make sure their children are trained according to God’s Word. Mothers are not exempt from this responsibility, but God does hold fathers ultimately responsible. God said,“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him”(Genesis 18:19). God expected Abraham to lead as Sarah was his helpmeet so He placed the primary responsibility on Abraham . (Sarah – a good mother will definitely help her husband in achieving this great task).
THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: It may seem easier at the time for a parent to let their child do whatever they want -- without restraining them or training them to do right. However, that harms the child because it trains them to do wrong. As a result they are robbed of the peace and blessing they should enjoy.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I pray that the parents in our land will train their children according to the Word of God.
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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.
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