I will work diligently to be successful in my God-given calling
As Parents of God’s Children
God calls each of us to a clear purpose: to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. God made this clear to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:4–9. Jesus also reiterated this when asked which commandment was the greatest. God, not our children, should be the center of our lives. If we set our hearts on following the Lord, we will be on track to properly raise our children.
As parents, God has given us authority over our children. And we are to exercise that authority with the same love, grace, and discipline that God exercises over us. We are called to discipline them and teach them the Lord’s ways. Always remember that our children are watching us and are keenly aware of discrepancies between what we teach and what we do. Living out our faith in an authentic, vibrant way is an integral part of teaching our faith to our children.
Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 29:17, “Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.”
Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”
Proverbs 13:24, “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.”
Proverbs 29:15, “To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
Psalm 78:1-7, “My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old— things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.”
Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Colossians 3:21, “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”
Psalm 127:3-5, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”
Proverbs 23:24, “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.”
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