TRAINING CHILDREN FOR THE LORD
The Bible says children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3). And we should train them up in the way they should go, and when the are old they will not forget (Proverbs 22:6). Jesus Christ said, I am the way and the truth and the life—the only way to the heavenly father (John 14:6). Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).
TEACH CHILDREN THE WORD OF GOD.
We should teach children, whom the Lord has put in our care, the inspired words of God which can equips them for life acceptable to God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). They should be taught Jesus loves them enough to come from heaven to die on a cross for the bad things they do. And if they believe in him as the Bible says, when they die he will take them to live with him in heaven forever. (John 3:16; John 14:2-3).
BE AN EXAMPLE FOR CHILDREN.
A woman in the Old Testament named Hannah, saw her child as a gift from God; and dedicated the child to be trained in the way of the Lord. With the approval of her husband, their child, Samuel, was trained by a priest of God named Eli. Samuel became a minister to the people of the Lord (1 Samuel 1:21; 1 Samuel 2:11).
As a child, Timothy, in the New Testament, was trained in the way of the Lord by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. As a youth, he was fathered in the way of the Lord by the apostle Paul. The Lord used what Timothy learned to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. (2 Timothy 1:2-8).
CHILDREN REMEMBER WHAT YOU TEACH THEM
A PRODIGAL SON. If we train up children in the way they should go, they will not forget it (Proverbs 22:6). The Bible parable of a Prodigal Son tell us about a child who was taught right–but went astray when he came of age–only to later return to his loving father. Attracted by the pleasures of the world, the son asked for his inheritance so he go out into to world. When he had spent all of his money on riotous living, and was destitute, he remembered his loving father and decided to go back home. His father welcomed and embraced him with open arms. (Luke 15:11-24).
MYSELF. My grandmother trained me up in the way of the Lord when I was a child. She trained me by what she said and did. I was just a boy when she interested me in going to heaven, when she told me about her good little boy Johnny who saw the angels coming when he was dying. When I was just learning to read, she had me read Bible stories to her about boys like Jesus, Samuel, David and others people. She sent me to Sunday school; and took me to church. I often heard her talk about the goodness of God; and pray to him. I s aw her show love to relatives and neighbors, sharing what she had. Largely because of my grandmother, I accepted the Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord when I was about ten years old. I went on to become a youth leader in church.
Later however, I went astray from the Lord like the prodigal son in the Bible. The Lord allowed me to reach my bottom, and I wanted to come back to the Lord. The Holy Spirit reminded me of what the Lord said in the Bible (John 16:13-14): “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). And, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just [because of Jesus’ atonement for sins] and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-9)
After returning to the Lord he forgave me. He put me back to work in his service as his child, and promised to restore to me the years that I wasted (Joel 2:25).
CHILDREN REMEMBER WHEN YOU TEACH THEM JESUS LOVES THEM.
My mother-in-law said her mother trained her in the way of the Lord. I had heard my mother-in-law talk a lot about the Bible, and sing many hymns. But when she was sick and dying, she repeatedly asked me and another family member to sing:
Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.
Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in
We ought to train up children that he has placed under our influence to come to the Lord. He will richly reward us now, and give us eternal life as his children in the world to come with our Lord and Father God (Mark 10:29:30; 1 John 3:1-2).
