CENTRAL THOUGHT
Parents have the primary responsibility to build up the lives of their children.
TEXT: PS. 78:1-7, 127:1-5
INTRODUCTION:
Any child who is well trained will bring honor to the parents. We cannot expect a child who is denied any form of education throughout his life to become a renowned personality. Training develops the skill in any human being. This is why the scripture enjoins that a child should be trained in the way he should go. Every Christian parent who has found the way to eternal life should not withhold the knowledge of how to tread on this path from the children.
Parents can only give out what they have. Parents should meditate on the word of God day and night so that they can have good successes even in the building up of their children’s lives (Josh 1:8). Think good, talk good, and act well so that you can give out that which is good (Phil. 4:8).
In this study, we shall be discussing how and what to teach our children to make them acceptable to God and succor us in our old age.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study are to:
- Understand how to prepare out children for the future
- Know what to teach our children
- Appreciate the benefits of training our children well.
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1) HOW SHOULD WE PREPARE OUR CHILDREN FOR THE FUTURE?
We are to prepare our children for the future by diligently teaching them to keep the commandments of God. We are to spare no effort. Deut 6:6-7 says, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up”. Jesus calls the Word “meat” to us. We must carefully and consistently teach them at all times, in all places and by every good means.
We must be committed, make time for it, and put on every effort to achieve this. It requires continuity and consistency. It must be “precept upon precept… line upon line… here a little, there a little” (Isa. 28:9-10), day by day, week after week, month by month, year after year until it becomes part of them.
We must not hide our faith. We should teach by the word and by examples. A light of the world, we must “let out light so shine that people (our children) may see our good works and glorify our father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14). We must be examples to our flock ( 1 Pet. 5:3). Children observe and want to copy from their parents. We must therefore say “be ye followers of me even as we follow Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). If we live godly and consistently practice righteousness, holiness, and life in the spirit, we can trust God to help our children to follow His way of life which they might have seen in us.
We should take them to church and encourage them to identify with their age-groups (children, teenagers, and youths), Good News Bible clubs, children conferences, camp meetings, and good secular educational institutions. Parents must continue to monitor what they are being taught. It is our responsibility to train, guide, and monitor the things they watch, take part in, or what they read; know that “evil communication corrupts good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33).
We must intercede for the lives of our children to our God. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Things that seem impossible to us are possible with God. He will show us how to do what He requires of us and grant us the desires of our hearts.
QUESTION 2) WHAT SHOULD WE TEACH OUR CHILDREN?
As Christian parents, we should teach our children to know God and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior. With this sure solid foundation, the guarantee that the child will undergo the life course successfully cannot be doubted. Ps. 78:7 says, ‘That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments”. Parents have the responsibility to build up their children in the following:
1. THE FEAR OF THE LORD
Through wisdom a house is built; and by understanding , it is established (Prov. 24:3). The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil. Deut 6:13 says, “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve Him” and Deut 10:12 says that what the Lord requires of His people is that they “Fear Him, walk in His ways, love Him and serve Him”. We are this to teach our children to have reverence for the Lord and for His commandments, and to obey Him.
2. THE WORD OF GOD
Ps. 119:9 says that a young man shall cleanse his ways “By taking heed thereto according to thy word”. When a man hides the Word of God in his heart, he will not sin against God (Ps. 119:11). Jesus taught that one who hears and does the word of God is like a wise man who builds his house upon a rock that will not fall (Matt. 7:24). We need to instill the knowledge of God’s word into the hearts of our children for profit “in doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, for perfection and to be thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
One cannot give out what one does not have. It is therefore necessary for parents to study, meditate, and allow the word to abide in them before they can teach the same to their children so that it may be well with them.
3. THE WAYS OF GOD
Scripture teaches us that there is a way that seemeth right into a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Prov. 14:12). Scripture is emphatic that the way of God is perfect (Ps. 18:30), righteous (Ps. 145:17); just and true (Rev. 15:3), and that He will teach us His ways (Micah 4:2).
We are in the world but not of it. It means therefore there must be a difference between our lifestyle and those of the unsaved ones around us. It is our duty as parents to teach this fact to our children and to show them how to conduct themselves at all times and inn all things as children of the kingdom (1 Peter 2:9-12), by walking in the ways of the Lord.
4. THE POWER OF GOD
We need to teach our children that our God is mighty, the God of power who does wonderful works (Deut 10:17; Ex. 15:11; Jer. 32:17-20). They need to hear the testimonies of the things the Lord has done, both in times past, as recorded in His word, and in more recent times in our own lives and the lives of others. We must not forget the things our eyes have seen but teach them to our children (Deut 4:9). In this way we help to build up their faith in God.
It is also important that we help them to experience first hand the “exceeding greatness of His power” (Eph. 1:19) at work in their own lives. Our children should be taught that He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph. 3:20). We need to teach our children to take hold of that power that is made available to us in Jesus Christ.
5. OTHERS
Apart from the above, there are other vital things we need to teach our children; these include:
– Teaching them to pray
– Teaching them to experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit
– Teaching them to continually trust in the Lord, etc.
QUESTION 3) WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BUILDING (TRAINING) OUR CHILDREN?
Scripture enjoins us to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). A child who is built up in the ways of God will not depart from that way when he is old. He will continue to serve the Lord and become a good citizen to society.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. “A wise child maketh a glad father” (Prov 10:1, 15:20).
A well-trained child will give his parents rest in their old age and make them delightful (Prov. 29:17). “… a child left to himself bringeth his mother shame” (Prov. 29:15). “The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.” (Prov. 23:24-25).
It is the desire of every parent that their children should prosper in all areas of their lives ( 3 John 2). The blessings and favor of the Lord are for those who fear and walk in His ways (Ps. 128; 1-2; 1:1-3).
The greatest benefit we can expect from training our children in the way of the Lord is to see them grow up to walk in truth ( 3 John 4), so that the Lord’s hand will be upon their lives for good and that ultimately their names will be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev. 21:27; 22:14).
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
One of the greatest tasks we have as Christian parents is to ensure that we effectively train our children up in the way of the Lord. We cannot assume that they know what is right; we must devote time and effort to teaching them all that they need to know. The world around us has much in it to distract our children from the truth. If we fail to teach them God’s ways, they will end up being deceived by the ways of those around them. We must show them God’s perspective on the issues of life: sexual relationships, integrity, diligence, their lifestyle in general, who to relate with and how, what to read, watch, where to go, etc. The word of God shows us that He is concerned about the way His people comport themselves in all these things. It is our duty to guide our children and to show them by word and by our own example what is good, right, and what the Lord requires of them (Micah 6:8) as His people (Deut. 10:12).
MEMORY VERSE:
DEUT 6:6-7
“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up..”
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:
MONDAY: GOD COMMANDS THAT WE TRAIN OUR CHILDREN FOR THE FUTURE
Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4; Deut 6:6-7
TUESDAY: TEACH HIS WORD, HIS WAYS AND HIS WORKS (Deut. 6:17-25)
WEDNESDAY: CHILDREN WHO ARE NOT WELL-TRAINED FORSAKE THE WAY OF TRUTH
Judges 2:7-14
THURSDAY: CHILDREN WHO ARE WELL-TRAINED KEEP TO WHAT THEY ARE TAUGHT. Daniel 1:1-17
FRIDAY: GOD’S BLESSINGS ARE FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. Ps. 128, 1
SATURDAY: WELL-TRAINED CHILDREN ARE A JOY TO THEIR PARENTS. Prov. 23:22-26