Maranatha Voice

Raising Godly Children

By Rev. Valson Abraham

1.8 Billion Children Between the ages of 4-14 are at strong health risk. Every day, malnutrition and starvation kill 35,000 children under the age of five. The world has more than 100 Million Street Children. In 1997, there were an estimated 1.5 Million children infected by AIDS. Between 100-200 Million children are exploited as child laborers.

The words "Child" and "Children" occur almost 2,000 times in Bible. This shows the importance that God gives Children. The Bible says much on the care, conduct, training, and rearing of children.

At the same time, this particular group is the most receptive and open to the gospel. In the United States, careful study has shown that 85% of all those who become Christians make commitments between the ages of 4-14. Although we don't have analysis for the rest of the world, this is probably true elsewhere.

Ancient Jews looked upon children in the home as a mark of divine blessing, greatly to be desired. "Children are and heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127) . The Psalmist depicts a young father with his growing family around him as a vigorous warrior with a quiver full of arrows.

The Jews gave meticulous attention to their children, not only with the things of home but with their teaching to revere the God of their forefathers. The firstborn in the home belonged to God. The ceremony of offering a child to the Lord occurred on the 30th day following his birth. Friends of the family were invited to a feast, and the child was placed in the hands of a priest. The priest pronounced the child as belonging to God. Other ceremonies were celebrated to mark the life of a child.

Jesus asked the children to come to him. He recognized their value and took the time. to bless them. In Luke 2:52 , we read about the growth of the child Jesus. Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man, we are told. Jesus grew in four important areas of life.

Jesus Grew in Wisdom:

That is, Jesus grew mentally. When a Jewish boy became six years of age, his mother took him to the local synagogue where he was taught the Jewish law and the traditions of the Jewish rabbis. That was his elementary education. When he became ten years of age, the rabbis prepared him for his bar mitzvah. At the age of 13, he became the "Son of the law", gaining the status of an adult in his home and community. In other words, there was an emphasis laid upon knowledge and wisdom.

Jesus Grew in Stature:

That is, he grew physically. He took care of his body and saw growth and development. His earthly father was a carpenter, and Jesus helped his father in his work. This took physical strength. The Jewish rabbis taught that every father should teach a son his skill or trade. A common saying was, "He who does not know a trade will become a thief."

The body is the temple of God. God dwells in our body, using it for His service. God will test my dedication by the way I use my body. As young people, we must dedicate our bodies holy and pure and not harm them by bad habits.

Jesus Grew Socially:

Although Joseph was not his physical father, he was his legal father. He honored and respected his parents. When Jesus became thirty and started his public ministry, he heard the words of His heavenly father say, "This is my beloved son in whom I am will pleased".

Jesus not only got along with this family but also with the rabbis in the temple. The rabbis were amazed at his knowledge of the holy scriptures. People of all knowledge of the Holy scriptures. People of all ages and types gravitated to Jesus because he knew how to relate to people of all backgrounds. We must recognize and teach children social skills. Many bright, intelligent people lose their jobs, not because they lack skills but because of their inability to get along with people. Teaching children relational and social skills is very important.

Jesus Grew Spiritually:

This is the key to a balanced life. Jesus did not have to get saved, since he was the perfect son of God. But Jesus depended daily upon His Heavenly Father for Guidance and strength. Luke depicts him as a man of prayer. All of this was instilled in him by his earthly parents..

Many times we wonder how we will instill these qualities in our own children. Sometimes when they do not immediately respond to our teaching, we get discouraged. A story that has helped and encouraged me in the story of the Chinese bamboo tree.

After the seed for the tree is planted, nothing shows for four years. Except for a tiny shoot coming out of a bulb, all the growth is underground in a massive fibrous root structure that spreads deep and wide into the earth. Then in the fifth year, the Chinese bamboo tree suddenly grows 80 feet.

Many things in family life in the rearing of children are like the Chinese bamboo tree. You teach, take time, pray, and do everything you possibly can to bring the proper nurture. Nothing seems to happen, but don't get discouraged. Sometimes you may not see anything for month or even years. If you are patient and prayerful and keep nurturing those children according to God's Word, that fifth year will come. You will be astonished at the growth that takes place.

My wife and I are parents of four children. Each of them has a unique personality. In fact, sometimes it seems they are totally different from one another. As parents, we must accept their differences and nurture their strengths and gifts.

At the same time, the children watch how we as parents handle different areas of life. The Christian faith is not just about success, but also how we handle disappointment, criticism, failure and weakness. Christian faith enables us to live honestly and humbly, trusting in the strong arms of our heavenly father to sustain us.

Somebody said, " Children are not attracted to perfection, but to authenticity and genuineness". Many times, we fail when we are unwilling to be genuine. When we trust the Lord and share our Spiritual blessings and battles, we enable our children to trust God and grow in grace.

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old, he will not depart from it" . A recent article about the cost of raising children in United States said that the average child from birth to college costs $250,000 to raise. That is a great responsibility for parents.

To raise or train a child in proverbs 22 means "to direct, lead, or create a thirst". When a Hebrew midwife or mother delivered a baby, the first thing she did was to crush grapes, dates or other food, put in on her finger, and rub the paste into the child's palate. This cultivated a taste in the child's tastebuds for whatever the food was.

We are responsible for giving direction in the lives of our children, of creating a thirst for what is good and right. The passage also says "in the way he should go," not "in the way he wants to go". We need to find individual gifts and raise them up to understand God's plan for their lives. We need to help a child know who he or she is. We also need to develop a child's good direction. We need to provide opportunity for a child's gifts to develop. We do that by providing a climate of encouragement. We must also oppose our child's bad inclinations. There are things in their lives we must oppose. We build up what is right and battle what is wrong. Discipline is very important. Leonardo da Vinci said, "He who does not punish evil commands it to be done".

We must ask the Lord to give us grace to communicate in the language that impacts children the language of physical touch, words of blessing and affirmation, quality time, giving gifts, rendering acts of service.

Lord give us wisdom and protection and your anointing around our homes and families. May our households be households of faith. In Jesus name, Amen.