There are many scriptures which talk about children. In Genesis 1:28, God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. Psalm 127:3-5 says that children are a heritage of the Lord. It is the enemy’s desire to counteract everything that the Lord has ordained. Proverbs 17:6 states that children’s children are a blessing to the grandparents and Psalm 113:9 speaks of God making the barren woman a happy mother of children. Psalm 139:14 speaks of God knitting us together in our mothers’ wombs and ordaining our days even before we were born.
We are responsible for taking care of our children and we never stop being a parent. We have them for at least 18 years and have to impact their lives, because they are watching and listening. We have an awesome responsibility to take good care of these seeds. There are also scriptures that speak of taking care of them. Often we look to discipline a child from the age of 12 and 13 but from the time it is in the womb, God has admonished us to talk to them even then. We should not wait until the child is born to speak to them. We should train them, correct them and tell them what is right. If a child is lying at two years old, do not say that it is cute. Let them know that it is wrong. The Bible says to train the child up in the fear of the Lord.
Children need to know how to behave in church and that training comes from at home. There also needs to be a family altar at home, where children are taught the Word of God. Whatever example you set for them, they are going to take on. Many times the children bully because the parents bully. Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us that we are supposed to teach our children when at home and abroad. Proverbs 6:20-21 admonishes children to keep their father’s commandment and not to forsake the law of their mother. Ephesians 6:1-4 speaks of honouring your father and mother so that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. It also tells fathers not to provoke their children. Proverbs 29:17 admonishes fathers to discipline their sons. If you discipline your child from ages 1-7, after age 7 you will have little disciplining to do. Lash a child when they lie or are disobedient and avoid lashing them when they enter puberty; do not crush their personality if they are strong willed. All children are different. Parenting is a job and a calling and it is not easy.
It does not matter how many text books are created on parenting, when you have a child, you will realize that you have your own text book. Do not take advantage of your children and abuse them, because you will crush their little hearts. After you have disciplined your child, they should be comfortable enough to come to you and say that they realise that they were wrong and be willing to help you around the house. We have to make sure that we are not cursing our children; we should spend time on our knees for the rebellious ones, but we should not use our words to curse them, because they then end up abusing their own children.
God alluded to kingdom living in Matthew 18:3-6. Any one who harms one of God’s little children is better off having a mill stone tied around his neck and drowned. Jesus said to let the little children come unto Him and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:14). He was saying that we have to take on the nature of the child to come unto Him: their submissiveness, their gentleness and their obedience.
The Prophet Jeremiah said that the people had strayed away from the ancient paths (Jeremiah 6:16). We too, have strayed from those ancient paths and need to get back to them. We are concerned about education, but have neglected teaching them the principles of God’s Word. We are called as believers to live out the Word of God. To be kind to each other, to look out for one another, to be polite, to be long suffering. When our lives are in line with Christ, then we are walking as we ought to. When our lives are not in alignment with His Word and we have strayed from the ancient path, then we are not walking as we ought to. The fool has said in his heart that there is no God.
In Hebrews 10:19-31, the writer challenges us to give our lives to this Christ, but at the end of chapter 10, he makes it clear what happens if we do not. Indeed, any one who rejected the law of Moses was killed on the testimony of three witnesses; how much more then would he be punished who hurts the Son of the Living God. We must ask God for wisdom and understanding in how to train our children. The Holy Spirit will lead and direct us.
