Raising godly children (I)

Psalm 127:3, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”

(MSG) “Don’t you see that children are GOD’s best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?”

Children are not accidents on earth. They are gifts (blessings) from God and should be received with gratitude and treasured. 

Your best legacy is not the books you write, the buildings or the cash in the bank but the legacy you leave in the hearts of the children you raise and the people you disciple. Jesus wrote no books, left no libraries but left legacies in the hearts of people; and that has not died till today. 

They were created by God for a purpose. They should be guided to discover and fulfil that purpose. They are like arrows; they should be aimed at specific targets in life. Psalm 127:4, “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.” Help the child to catch a vision; he or she will not perish.

They were not created to live your life as a parent but they have theirs in a unique way.

• They are like wet cement; you can write on them before they set. That is why it is better to teach them truth before their minds set with wrong information. Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” A study conducted by the National Institute Of Child Health and Human Development showed that parent and family features were two to three times more strongly linked to child development than was child care during the preschool years. It is harder bending a dry fish. It is harder to write on concrete without breaking it up except you are making superficial impressions.

• A child will bring shame or honour to you depending on the way you raise him. Proverbs 10:1, “A wise child[1] brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother.” Eli’s children brought him shame and brought his life to a traumatic end. Proverbs 29:15, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”

• Your children will either turn out to be blessings or problem to their generation depending on the way you raise them. God told Abraham, “…in thy seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Will your seed be a blessing or curse to the nations? Samuel remains a blessing till tomorrow.

• The future of the world is in your obedience. “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” Genesis 22:18. The future of the world depends on what you put in your seed. 

• Parents who do not teach their children to follow the Lord may not enjoy God’s secrets. Genesis 18:19, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

• Better parenting starts with improving ourselves. You can only impart and communicate what you have and who you are. 

Start From The Womb Or Even Before Then

The foundation of everything matters. The Bible says in the beginning God said, the beginning of our children’s lives should be God and the foundation can be laid by praying and talking to them while they are in the womb. It is amazing to know that they hear and respond. Luke 1:41 when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb. 

The beginning of Samuel’s life was God, little wonder he had an impeccable record before God and man. 

Everyone Is Involved

Raising godly children is not the sole responsibility of the parents though they play dominant roles, school and Church also have roles to play. Children are products of their environments they are great mimics, and they live with what they hear and see.

Parents should therefore make conscious efforts to help their children build positive self-image, nurturing them in the fear of God and sharing faith in simple practical ways with them will help them to accept God’s promises and experience His benefits personally.

Knowing that your children belong to God and that they are simply put in your care, you have to depend on God for everything you need to raise them in God’s way.

It Is A Commandment From God

It is a fundamental truth to know that child training is a commandment from God. Deuteronomy 6:6-7, “And these words which I command thee this day shall lie in thin heart. And thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children.”

God’s commandment is a must just as you will obey it in tithing and other areas so we must obey it in child training.

10 Parental Roles In Raising Godly Children 

1. Provide spiritual need. Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Your children’s first spiritual contact should be with Jesus, a personal relationship with Jesus is the first cornerstone of life: confess the Word of God over them to sharpen their destiny.

If they are old enough to read the Bible take them through the scriptures and explain to them the meaning of salvation, after that lead them to Christ. This is your sole responsibility and not the responsibility of either the class or Sunday school teacher.

a. Make time for family fellowship and give them spiritual assignments like leading the praise worship and Bible reading. Call them at random to pray.

b. Be sure they have their time to study the Word and pray too. Encourage them to give you a summary of their Bible study and the lesson they learn from the study. This makes it easy for you to evaluate their spiritual growth.

2. Teach them to appreciate every kindness shown to them, to be sorry for their wrong deeds and be humble when making a request. Once they form these habits, it will not be difficult for them to appreciate God’s goodness, repent of their sins and be bold when making a request from God though in humility.

3. Be character Models (Like father like son; like parent like child). Even babies learn through example. Their habits and characteristics are formed through what they regularly see and hear from their parents, brothers and sisters. Right from the time that babies are born, they are learning. Everything that you do becomes an example to them to learn and develop. From expressions to covering their mouth when they cough; from watching a lot of TV to playing soccer. Everything is absorbed into their minds as they sit and watch you go through your day. 

As Christian parents, be models of God’s character. One of the attributes of God is love, as parents love one another and love your children. Don’t let them assume but know that they are loved by the things you say and do for them. Acknowledge God’s love in their presence too.

Whatever character trait you don’t want to see in your children, make sure you have dealt with it to in your life. An adage says charity begins at home; permit me to say honesty, integrity, discipline and diligence all begin at home too. A child that you deceive often will sooner or later lose confidence in you. Don’t teach your child how to tell lies; remember your child is your reflection. 

(To be continued…)

Bishop Dr Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l.