Training
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)
Today’s Morsel: Jesus was all about training. Throughout scripture we see this pattern of training being implemented by Jesus to those He chose, and He encouraged them to do the same. Paul even told Timothy: “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2); He told Titus: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” (Titus 2:11-12) The educating and training of children begins as soon as when they are born. It doesn’t begin when they are youths or teenagers. Discipline, obedience, and character should start at the youngest age, and for certain be instilled by the time they are reaching age 2 and 3 years old, as that is the age where children begin to take on the nature of what they see and hear. There are three phases to good training. First is slow improvement. This phase usually begins from 2 to 7 years old. In this phase children are taught obedience to instructions, respect for authority, manners, and how and why we do what we do, and the consequences of their actions. They are taught about God and why we serve Him, and why He must be kept as the center in their lives. The Second phase is toughening. This phase runs from ages 8 to 12 years old. In this phase, children ought to learn how to continue to make their bed, clean their room, help around the home, respect for property, theirs and others, to dress themselves modestly, and to know more about God for themselves. And the Third phase is sustainment. This phase usually starts around 13 and run for the rest of their lives. This phase not only includes the other two phases, but the child is taught how to set visions and goals for themselves, develop good study and work ethics, and they should be striving to live a pure and holy life. And this all begins, Paul said, by fathers not provoking their children to anger, but bringing them up in nurture (encouragement) and admonition (warnings) of God. Our children will make their own choices in life, yet our responsibility is to give them the right tools to help make those choices.
Sing: Heavenly Father, I appreciate You. Heavenly Father, I appreciate You. I love You, adore You, I bow down before You. Heavenly Father, I appreciate You.
Thought For Today: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
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