Ephesians 6:4 NKJV
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”.
Beloved,
One thing we read throughout scripture is how God does not joke when it comes to His children. The scripture you see above is not strong recommendation. It is a command from God, our Father. He gives us a similar command in the following scripture:
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 19:14 NKJV
That is to tell you, the Lord does not play around when it comes to His children. Beloved, don’t make the grave mistake of not introducing your children to the God of your salvation. Your relationship with Christ must NOT be a secret to them. They should know where you stand on different issues of life and they should see, clearly, that your stance is traceable to God’s Word and that your relationship with Him is as well. Your God should not be a mystery to your children, and they must be aware of their inheritance in Christ Jesus. See what He tells Abraham:
Genesis 17:6-8 NKJV
“I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
God, our Father, is a generational God. He is the beginning and the end. He has designed the future with our children in mind. It is imperative we have the heart of God for them and future generations. Let me share another passage with us:
Mark 10:13-16 NKJV
“13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them”.
When we don’t make it a priority to lead our children to Jesus, to let them experience His presence, we bring God displeasure. The Holy Spirit wants us to know that we, too, are subject to His rebuke when we fail to position our children for life in His Kingdom. May we take our position as parents, caregivers and teachers seriously in the mighty name of Jesus.
Generations depend on it and our own salvation depends on it. God will illuminate His Word and His will for you especially as it concerns the upbringing of this next generation in Jesus’ might name. Amen.
In our next write up, I will bring to our attention some of the things we do consciously and unconsciously to keep our children from Jesus.
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
I call you blessed. I call you NATIONS.
