Currently, we’re in a message series on parenting called “Parental Guidance Required”. Children need parental guidance, it’s required not just recommended. Children don’t just need guidance from any source, they need their parent’s guidance. God has given each parent who depends on Him, the ability to guide their children.
Last Sunday, I spoke on the importance of relationships in raising your children. As a parent, you need to influence three relationships with your children. Their relationship with God. Their relationship with you as their parents and their relationship with others outside of your home. Each relationship is vital for you as a parent to work on with your children. Your children will eventually turn out in one of two ways. NIV Proverbs 10:1 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother. Your children can end up being wise, which will bring joy to your heart. Or they can end up being foolish which will bring grief into your life as a parent. Whether your children end up being wise or foolish is not a matter of their genes, it’s not a matter of chance, it’s simply a result of how they are parented.
Basically, the Bible teaches that all children begin by being foolish in life. It is the parent’s task, with God’s help, to transform a foolish child into a wise one. NIV Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. From little on, foolishness and rebelliousness is in a child’s heart, the Bible calls it sin. Parental guidance, discipline and training will produce a wise child.
I heard a story about a five year old boy who went on a walk with his father. After walking a number of blocks away from their home, the father asked the boy, “Son, how far are we from home?” The boy answered, “Dad, I don’t know.” The father asked, “Well, where are you?” Again, the boy answered, “I don’t know.” The father jokingly said, “Sounds to me like you’re lost, son.” The boy smiled, looked up at his Dad and said, “Nope, I can’t be lost. I’m with you.” As long as that father wasn’t lost, his son was OK. As long as a child’s parents are wise, their children will be also.
Where does wisdom come from? NIV Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Wisdom comes only from God. If you want to raise wise children, you’ve got to get them connected to God.
Today, I’m going to talk about “Your Children and God.” Your child’s relationship with God is their most important relationship. Children who fear and know God will be wise. They will grow up into wise parents who raise wise children. I want to talk about how you as a parent can influence your child’s relationship with God and raise wise children.
To hear more about this topic, listen to my February 11, 2007 message entitled Your Children And God