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WHAT ARE WE DOING FOR THE CHILDREN? “Lo children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man: so are children of youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” (Ps. 127:3-5). Here the heritage of and reward of children are set forth. Jesus viewed little children as very important because when they brought the little children to him he took them in his arms and blessed them (Mk. 10:16). But what is this generation of parents doing for the children? In most homes plenty physically is being supplied. The state of the arts home is full of the latest in furniture and accessories. Food in abundance is supplied for the children to eat. Educational advantages are provided with good schools, rides to and from school, and dedicated teachers to teach them. Recreational advantages are plentiful with all kinds of sports offered to both girls and boys. In most homes parents work really hard to provide the physical necessities and luxuries the children want. But how much time do we give our children? Are parents too busy to read to their children? Do parents have the time or inclination to read the Bible to the children and to tell them the great Bible stories that hold out to the children great lessons about God and Christ. In both old and new testaments the need to teach God’s commands to the children are emphasized (Deut. 6:7; Eph. 6:4). Dou you have time to explain to your children what things are wrong and what things are right? Do you take the time and patience to explain the answers to their questions about life and to point them in the right directions for living? Do you have time to have some form of recreation as parents with the children? We rush about here and there and the first thing we know the children are grown and we have missed so many opportunities of helping and guiding the most precious things in our lives. What kind of an example are you setting before the children? Are you a Christian? Are you worshipping God regularly as a dedicated child of God should be doing? Just sending the children to the church services is good but not enough. The example of your life is the important thing. Bringing the children up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord is a huge task that too many are failing to accomplish. The word “nurture” is from the Greek word “Paideia” which means to train a child and includes instruction, correction, and chastening. The best instruction is to let your light so shine that they may see your good works and glorify the Father in heaven (Mat. 5:16). The best discipline a child can get is to see the well-controlled life of parents. Freedom from screaming, accusing, fighting, backbiting, and two timing on the part of fathers and mothers is important to your children. Parents who are true to their marriage vows to one another is important to the children. Children love both parents and they are most happy when the parents love one another. Do disagreeing mothers and fathers ever stop to think what their divorcing is doing to the children? “What God hath joined together let not man put asunder” (Mat. 19:6). The best thing you could do for the children is to swallow your pride, become humble, learn to get along with one another, treat one another right and stay together. If you don’t do it for yourself - do it for the children. What is the church doing for the children? First, why are your children coming to the services of the church? To be entertained or to be taught? The reason for the church’s existence is to teach the gospel to all men (Mat. 28:19; Mk. 16:15). Is the church doing its best it providing appropriate classes and materials for the best training of the children in the way of the Lord? If parents are interested in their children being taught how much time do they spend with them in the home in preparing the Bible lessons so they can learn the most at the Bible Class? How much time do the teachers spend preparing their lessons? How much of the lesson have the teachers practiced in their daily lives before they stand before the class and teach the lesson? Is the class a vital hour of dynamic Bible teaching or a waste of time?
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