I am irritated by parents who put themselves before their children.

Aside from common sense stuff that we should be able to get from watching a nature show on TV, like how a momma elephant takes care of her newborn calf – there are some specific things addressed in the Bible that we need to know about how we influence the next generation.

·        Take care of them – if you don’t, you are worse than an infidel (1 Tim 5:8) Titus 3:14 “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.”

Productive lives…this is more than just putting ‘food on the table, a roof over their head, and clothes on their back.’

What is involved in getting kids to become productive citizens?

It involves taking care of them by providing emotional and spiritual security. It involves giving them hope and parity (I.e., if anybody can do it – you can do it!)

1.      spiritual

2.      emotional

3.      social

4.      intellectual

5.      physical

·        God has given them talents – that’s His business and they must be about it

Encourage them to pursue their interests.

1.      When they fail, help them get perspective.

2.      When they fall, help them to get back up.

3.      When they do wrong,

§        acknowledge the wrong,

§        encourage restitution,

§        forgive – grant grace and then encourage them to do what’s right and not look back.

·        Don’t do anything that would hinder them from His plan for them  Matthew 18:6 (LBV) “But if any of you causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose his faith, it would be better for you to have a rock tied to your neck and be thrown into the sea.”

We could easily translate Mt. 18:6 as “But if any of you causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose his way, it would be better for you to have a rock tied to your neck and be thrown into the sea.”

Hinder them from His plan?? How? Consider all of the above. We are hindering them if we DON’T provide:

·        emotional and spiritual security

·        hope and parity

If we aren’t tending and bending:

o       spiritually

o       emotionally

o       socially

o       intellectually

o       physically

If we don’t:

o       encourage them to pursue their interests

o       help them get perspective when they fail

o       help them to get back up when they fall

o       acknowledge the wrong, when they do wrong, and

§        encourage restitution,

If we don’t:

o       forgive – grant grace and then encourage them to do what’s right and not look back.

The world can bless you or curse you because of your children.

Life isn’t ‘all about you.’

If you make it that way now, guess who won’t care what happens to you when you get old.

There is a long-range view in the old adage, “Train up a child in the way in which he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

What I have covered in this message is my interpretation of what’s primarily involved in ‘training’ a child.

What you and the rest of the world will need from him and her when they are adults is dependent upon what they get from you now.

It truly is a “Cat’s Cradle” world. What “goes ‘round – comes ‘round.”