CHILDREN

Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him". Children are a blessing from God. They are gifts. And yet, they are our responsibility. As parents and grandparents, we are tasked with making sure they are raised properly, learning to show respect and love for others, be polite and, most importantly, honour God with their lives. God promises us that if we raise them up in His ways, and if they honour their parents, He will bless them and they will live long in the land. From the time they're born until the day they leave home, we need to be sure we are doing right by them by loving them and disciplining them. Loving them is usually the easy part. Disciplining them isn't always so easy. But it's a necessity and if they go without discipline, they will have a tough road ahead of them. Children who lack discipline & correction tend to grow up not understanding that there are rules and laws to follow in life. And as they are unruly and spoiled in their childhood days, so will they be in their adult life. So we need to be sure we are correcting them, in love, and teaching them that choices have consequences. And as we do so, we are preparing them for life as a responsible, God-fearing adult who will honour God with their life and respect those around them.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Children. They bring so many different things to mind when we think of them. Love, joy, laughter, pain, anguish, and the list could go on. Each child is unique, just as God has created each of us to be unique. As God blesses us with children and entrusts them to us, there are things that we need to do to be sure they are raised properly. First and foremost, we need to teach them how to love God and walk in His ways. We do this by teaching them with our words, but more importantly, with our actions. Children watch every move we make and hear everything we say, even if they sometimes act like they don't hear us. So it's important that we set the best example possible for them to see and follow. Of course we will make mistakes and mess up, but even then we have the opportunity to tell them where we went wrong and teach them about God's grace and forgiveness. As parents and grandparents, it's our responsibility to shield them from the things that will harm them, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Some may say that we're sheltering them and not letting them see the realities of life but the reality is that there is much that they don't need to see and hear when they are young and impressionable.

So I want to encourage you today to work hard to keep your children safe and away from the wiles of the enemy, who will try his hardest to influence them at a young age, hoping to impart even the slightest hint of doubt or deceit into their minds. Train them up in the Way they should go. And they will not depart from it.