Sovereign Grace Church

Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

(Proverbs 22:6)

Young parents: Raising children is not easy. It requires wisdom, patience, consistency, and most importantly, love. Many mistakes will be made along the way. No honest parent can look back without many regrets. I have heard it said that it is the most important job with the least amount of training one can have. Yet, as believers, we do have a perfect example in our loving Heavenly Father. May the Lord give us the grace to follow Him.

There are three things children will not learn unless they are taught. Our loving Heavenly Father teaches each and every one of His children these same three things: 1) respect for authority; 2) take responsibility for their actions; and 3) be considerate toward others. Jails are full of men and women who have never been taught these three basic lessons. The ultimate form of respecting authority is to bow in submission and worship to our sovereign and omnipotent God. The ultimate form of taking responsibility for one’s self is to be made a sinner. No excuses, no exceptions. When the Spirit of God makes one a sinner they have no one to blame but themselves. And, the ultimate form of being considerate toward others is the unfeigned love the Lord puts in our hearts for all the brethren. This love is manifest not in word but in deed and in truth [1 John 3:18].

Though we will fail many times in training a child in the way he should go, our God has never failed. When we are brought to see, in the preaching of the gospel, what the Lord has done for us in Christ, we will bow in grateful submission, we will willingly confess our sin, and we will love God’s people. To our young parents, do you see why it is vital to have your children under the preaching of the gospel? It is the only place for them to be taught of God. [AMEN!]