Children are our future. We need to raise our children properly. The critical time is from birth to the teenage years. There is the pain of bringing a child into the world. Then there is the pain of bringing the child up in the world. There are some critical things we need to do to turn our children into champions.

1 – We must develop and direct them spiritually

Solomon was a wise man and he has advice on children. Our children belong to the Lord. Our children are on loan from God. Children are compared to arrows.

• They have to be properly aimed.
• It has to hit the target.

The same is true of children. Children must be shot in the direction of the Lord. It is better to not have children then to not direct them in the direction of the Lord. A child needs to be directed spiritually. Children are precious. You can’t take your money to heaven but you can take your children to heaven. How we raise our children will largely determine how our children raise their children. God puts an arrow in your hand and you are to shoot it in God’s direction. If you don’t read the Bible and go to Church you are not setting them the right example.

You have to begin when they are young. Read them Bible stories. There are some great Bible stories. You don’t have to fill their heads with Batman, Superman, etc. Let them hear you praying to God for their salvation. We have to be sensitive to their spiritual questions. There are plenty of Christian DVDs.

2 – We must discipline them lovingly

If we are going to fire an arrow we must make sure that they are straight before they can work properly. If an arrow has to be straightened to fly right, then a child has to be straightened to fly right.

The world finds it unacceptable for children to be spanked. The Bible does not say “Spare the rod, spoil the child”. The Bible is harder. See Proverbs 13:24. If you don’t discipline your child then you hate your child. You discipline for the benefit of your child. See Proverbs 22:15. See Proverbs 3:11-12. God disciplines those he loves. He sometimes has to gives us a smack or a good beating! God has to discipline us and we need to discipline our kids. If we don’t do it lovingly, then they will hate us. If we don’t do it at all, then they won’t respect us. It has to be done – lovingly.

3 – You must develop them emotionally

It has to happen when they are young. By the time a child is seven years old it may already be too late. A person is about 85% emotionally developed by the age of seven. If we spoil our children then it is possible they will become emotionally unstable. We need to set rules and boundaries. We need to give them responsibilities and expect them to complete chores. We need to make sure that they learn to work to get money.

If we spoil the child then and don’t develop them emotionally, then it will not be surprising if they turn into criminals or misfits in society. If we discipline our children then they will “fly straight”. We have a small window of opportunity to make our children into champions – don’t miss the target.

Categories: Psalms