Have you ever wondered if God has a formula for parenting? Some of us may have thought so and done our best to raise our children “in the discipline and admonition of the Lord,” only to have them wander from the faith or fail to make a genuine commitment to the Lord. This often leaves us confused, discouraged, and wondering if there is something we missed. There’s an important principle to remember in today’s reading from Psalms that may help.
And from our New Testament reading, we’ll see that “Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone”—This truth is central to our faith and must be strongly guarded and taught.
By what are your children known? Do you see tendencies that, if not dealt with biblically, will produce attitudes and actions that are not pleasing to God? What will those attitudes look like if carried into adulthood? Could our lack of wise parenting hinder them as spouses or in other relationships? Today’s reading in Proverbs speaks to this issue. But good parenting, also, includes teaching our children to understand history, economics, and civic responsibility. This is not only important to our nation wherever we live but it is our responsibility before God.
And speaking of our nation, how do you view what is going on in our country? Do you believe God is chastising or pruning our nation? Could He be turning up the heat because of our rejection of Him and His truth? Are you praying about what you see happening or merely complaining?
Are you inside God’s circle of blessings or have you put yourself on the outside? When we put ourselves outside of God’s circle of blessings, we risk shortening our lives and opening ourselves to God’s discipline.
And what about your children? Are you teaching them how to stay inside that circle of blessings? Today’s post has a simple illustration to help them (and you) understand why it’s so important.
And from our Old Testament reading:
God gave Saul the privilege of being Israel’s first king. He blessed him in many ways including giving him victory in battle, loyal men like the future king David, and a wise son in Jonathan. But Saul is a great example of one man’s failure to stay inside God’s circle of blessings.
Nothing breaks a parent’s heart more than to see our children make foolish choices that can result in consequences for years to come. But there are some things we can do early on so God doesn’t have to allow more serious consequences later. What are some of those things?
When it comes to Christian parenting, I don’t believe there has ever been a time when it has been more challenging to make wise decisions. Goals that parents have had for generations may need to be rethought in light of the educational, professional, social, and business environment today.
In the area of education, I know I find it harder and harder these days to rejoice with friends when they tell me their son or daughter has received a scholarship or been accepted into a secular college or university. And frankly, some so-called Christian colleges are not much better. I’ve seen too many young people wooed away from the truth by worldly, liberal professors with unbiblical and in many cases anti-biblical agendas.
The combination of liberal secular ideologies wrapped in deceptive, yet appealing, packaging and our failure to properly prepare many of our young people for the all-out war for their souls has cost our families and the body of Christ dearly.
So, when it comes to Christian parenting, what do we need to consider?
I counsel many people who struggle because of words that were spoken to them as children. Certainly, God can use that for good as He helps them find their identity in Him, but how sad when our kids must overcome our parenting, and not remember it with gratitude. How about you? Do you spend most of your time criticizing and correcting your children or do you remember to give encouragement, as well? Your kids will be grown before you know it. How will they remember you? Even if they know you love them, do they believe you like them?
One of the most concise Biblical instructions for parents appears in the book of Ephesians where it says, “… do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Some of the ways we provoke our children to anger are obvious, but others may be less so. Could you be provoking your children to anger in ways you haven’t realized?
We are in a series called “Rock Your Faith.” The principle in this week’s post, Personal Accountability & Snowplow Parents” is at the heart of our ability to grow and change. Without it, our growth will be stunted at best. It’s something with which most of us struggle. It affects our relationships with God, with others, and our ability to parent well. Yet, much of what has been written about it is far from helpful.
Many people consider parenting to be the mother’s job and, even if they believe both parents need to be involved, mom often ends up with most of the responsibility. But parenting isn’t a one-person job. God intended for moms and dads to parent as a team.
One of the most important skills in overcoming anger and building good relationships is learning how to communicate in a loving, God-honoring way. Ephesians 4 contains some of the clearest passages on the subject of communication. The principles can be summed up in 4 easy to understand “rules” that you can apply and teach your children.
