Teaching Your Child With God’s Wisdom

When it comes to raising a child from birth to when he or she eventually becomes an adult, there is no manual or workbook that we can draw upon as a resource. We can look at examples of how other parents have raised their children, but are those really good examples? If you look closely at some families, you would find that the environment that the children are raised in most often is a reflection of the attitude of the parents. To train children, you must be trained by the Master (Psalm 119:99). In addition, not just one but both parents have to have the mindset to be unified in raising their children. In Luke 2:22-24, both Joseph and Mary were of the same mind in dedicating their child, Jesus, to service for the Lord. It continues as we learn more about parenthood that we are to be actively involved with raising our children. Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Psalm 22:6). The best instructor to give us guidance in teaching our children is God Himself when we demonstrate our life and love for God in serving Jesus Christ. The example of this comes from Psalm 145:1-7…
1. Exalt the Lord. It is not good enough for your child to believe in some higher authority. The child needs to see that our love for Christ is genuine and powerful.
2. Praise the Lord. The child learns what it is to praise the Lord when he or she sees the parents’ true attitude of praise. It is not a fake demonstration of insincere behavior; rather, it is sincere and genuine. We praise the Lord not because we look at how others look to God, but because we have a genuine appreciation for what God has done for us. He is worthy to be praised for His greatness in our life. There are many ways to do this, but start with his wonderful creation and share its wonders in your teaching.
3. Acknowledge His greatness. God’s miraculous actions in bring His nation out of slavery and Egypt. It was the ritual of Passover that was used as a lesson to teach the children (Exodus 12:24-26). We are to share our own stories with our children how God has blessed us and kept us over the years. We pray that our sharing will give our children the desire to know God even more.
4. Commend His work to your child. Acknowledge how God has operated in your own life and pray for God to reveal to your child how He can operate in his or her life.
5. Be mindful of the thoughts of God. Meditating on God’s Word will keep you in line with God’s will in your life. Your child will see your dedication to God’s Word and will see its relative purpose in his or her own life.
6. Celebrate. We have a special relationship with Christ when we rejoice together as a family. Even in times when there are struggles, we still will see the value of rejoicing In the Lord.
Deuteronomy 11:18-19 reminds us of the importance of God’s Word and teaching it to your children, “talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” From all of this, we discover, as parents, that our best instruction to our children is our demonstration of our love, reverence, and obedience to God through our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ.