Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Nuturing Our Children Through God

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
Ephesians 6:1-4

God desires for us to raise our children for Him. It can be difficult to instill godly morals in our children in the world in which we live. But God has given us certain steps we can take in helping to nurture our children.

We must first express our love to our children both verbally and personally. If our children do not know that we love them, how will they know that God loves them? Many times a child's perception of God is based on their relationship with their earthly father. We must be active in showing them our love. We have also seen that we must nurture our children by spending time with them in God's Word each day. We must teach them of God at an early age so their hearts will be grounded in Him.  We will see that godly discipline is a vital part in raising our children for God.

Our verses today point out two ways we are to raise our children. Ephesians 6:4 says, "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

We are to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.



The word nurture in that verse has to do with teaching and training our children. It is the process of education in which our children learn. It deals with both head knowledge and heart knowledge. It deals with teaching them arithmetic, science, history, and also of teaching them the Bible and God's principles for life.

The other part of Ephesians 6:4 says we are to bring them up in the admonition of the Lord. The word admonition has to do with encouragement and warning. It is a combination of exhortation and rebuke. We are to encourage them to do right and exercise godly discipline when they do wrong.
There is an idea in our society today that many forms of discipline are harmful and abusive to children. Yet

God commanded us in Proverbs 22:15, "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." God desires that we would raise godly children through proper discipline.
Evangelist D.L. Moody was once asked, "How may converts did you have last night?" "Two and one-half." "You mean two adults and one child?" "No. I mean two children and one adult. The children still have their entire lives to live."

Children are special to God and raising them is a great privilege and responsibility! We must seek God's help in nurturing our children and we must follow His instructions. He desires that we would instill godly morals in them by correcting them through godly discipline when they are wrong.



Are you following God's guide to raising your children for the Lord? Are you properly admonishing them when it is necessary? Make sure you are applying both discipline and encouragement when necessary. Your children should know that you fear God and that sin will not go unpunished, but they should also know that you are doing it out of love.
Take time now and ask God to help you correctly apply both exhortation and rebuke in your children's lives. Seek God's help each day as you strive to raise your children for Him.

Blessings to You

Amanda