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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