THE GRACIOUS PRINCIPLES OF INSTRUCTIVE CHRISTIAN PARENTING 1 Samuel 1:24-28; 2: 18, 19; 1 Chronicles 28: 5-8; Colossians 3:19, 21; Genesis 18: 17, 18 There is no doubt God has great things He wants to achieve through our children. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD Gen. 18: 19 The fact that many of the discoveries and advancement in knowledge were done by Christian children should instruct us to be prepared to raise next generations of pillars and illuminators of righteousness and innovations. However, we must be determined to pay our dues to achieve this. Godly parents must develop a set of principles not based on the theories of the world but grounded in the knowledge and bible principles. Here are some biblical principles that have helped some parents in the bible and contemporary times: 1. Principles of First Example: Parents must be determined to set themselves as first example and influence for their children. Although, many of our children are kept with nannies, housemaids and class tutors these days, we must take a deliberate effort to be the role model for our children (2 Tim 1:5). Eunice personally trained Timothy in the way of the Lord, but nowadays, Mothers had left the care of the children to housemaids and nannies. 2. Principles of Personal Covenant: It is important for us to lead our children in the way of the Lord to the point of having personal covenant with God. David has provided everything to Solomon to build the temple but he went ahead to tell him to have covenant with God personally (I Chron. 28:9). It is good to send our children to the best school, buy good clothes and other materials. However, until our children are converted, we are yet to begin with our godly assignment. We must also emphasize buying bibles and Christian materials as well as encourage them about paying tithes and other pious activities in the house of God. It is not the pastor’s or the children teacher’s duty alone to oversee the conversion of your teenage boy, it is yours too. Parents have a lot to do if their children are to be saved. You are the one living with them, stop concealing their evil practices. Rebuke and expose them when necessary 3. Principles of Christ-like passion (Col 3:19, 21). We must love our children and be careful of not driving them to the hands of the devil by our actions. Corrections must be with love and firmness. We must create good time to be with them. This is how we can have any impact or influence on them. Parents (fathers) should represent Jesus in showing love to their children until they become the person that God wants them to be (Ephesian 5:24-27). Fathers should show their children some affection at home. You are such a nice pastor to members of your church in the church but at home your children see you as a lion. Your house is like a military camp, the wife and the children see you as a terror. Great fear creeps into their hearts whenever daddy is coming back from work. 4. Principles of Kingdom Life (Acts 21:8, 9): Susannah Wesley had 19 children and dedicated her life to instilling a sense of Christian Destiny into each of them. Her children went to change the world in fact, she gave the world John and Charles Wesley. We must teach them principles of the kingdom like praying, giving to God, helping others, trusting God, and God’s ownership over their lives, 5. Principles of consistency in Discipline (Prov. 13:24; 22:15; Heb 12:7): Discipline must not be compromised in profitable parenting. It should be left to neither teachers nor nannies. However, instrument of discipline should be commensurate with children’s age. We must instill discipline on how they should comport themselves in the house of God, and never allow a sinful act to go without punishment as Susannah Wesley did. There should not be any kind of favoritism in profitable parenting. We should learn from Jacob’s blunder of preferring Joseph above the other children in the family (Gen 37: 3). This may breeds hatred and malice within the family. 6. Principles of communication (Heb. 1:1, 2): Communication is essential in profitable parenting. Children are in different categories and we must ensure we explore different methods of communicating with our children. However, shouting is not the same as communication. We must ensure avenue for feedback from our children. 7. Principles of Compassion (Psalms 103:13): As parents we must put ourselves in the position of our children and ask ourselves how we will react if our parents are treating us in the way we are treating them. At times, your children are still with your neighbours by 9pm because mummy is yet to return back from shop to pick Gloria after she returned from school. 8. Principles of separation (Prov. 1:10, Romans 12:1, 2): Many parents willfully leave their children to live worldly life on the premise that it is their world and they should explore it. Firstly, Christian parents will do well in this regard if they show example through the type of friends they keep and how they treat direct warnings of God against worldliness. Parents should endeavor to monitor their children; you need to pay attention to the kind of music they listen to. The kind of hair style or hair cut they do, the kind of friends they keep, the kind of places they go.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:33:42 +0000
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