THE CHRISTIAN HOME

(Parenting)

REMEMBER: Children are a gift from God! Gen. 33:5; 48:9; Ps. 127:3

A. Teach the word of God to your children (Deuteronomy 6)

4 ¶ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 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.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,

11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;

15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

(See also Deut. 4:9; 6:20; 11:19; 21:19; 31:13; Isaiah 28:9; John 21:15.)

B. Train and guide your children

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (See also Isa. 38:19; Lam. 2:19)

C. Provide for your children

II Cor. 12:14 “…the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.”

D. Take your children to church, and live an example for them each day

Ephesians 6:4 “And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

E. Love your children

Titus 2:4 “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.”

F. Discipline, correct, chasten and control your children

TRUE LOVE and DISCIPLINE are inseparable:

1. “Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth.” (Hebrews 12:6)

2. Jesus says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” (Rev. 3:19)

3. “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” (Proverbs 13:24)

Discipline (chastening) of children is commanded by God!

1. “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” (Proverbs 19:18)

2. “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Proverbs 22:15)

3. “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.” (Proverbs 23:13,14)

4. “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” (Proverbs 29:15)

Trouble, heartache, and judgment from God come upon parents and children where discipline is not carried out!

1. God severely judged Eli because “his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” (See I Samuel 3:11-14; 4:12-18.)

2. I Samuel 8:3 (sons of Samuel)

3. Luke 15:11-32 (prodigal son)

4. I Kings 1:6 (David failed to question and correct Solomon)

G. Parents influencing children to do evil

1. I Kings 22:52 4. Ezekiel 20:18

2. II Chronicles 22:3 5. Amos 2:4

3. Jeremiah 9:14 6. Matthew 14:8

H. Parents influencing children to do good

II Chronicles 17:3; 20:32; 26:4; 27:2

II Timothy 1:5

I. Sins of parents visited upon the children

Exodus 20:5; 34:7 Leviticus 26:39 Numbers 14:18,33