Where angels fear to tread … biblical principles for guiding our children
Welcome to our December blog and the wonderful season of Advent. We wait expectantly, as Christians, and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The real reason for the season…
Today I’m devoting my blogpost to the subject of discipline and raising children on biblical principles. At LHCC, we have sometimes struggled with ways to engage our teens, who seem to have decided to treat devotions with lackluster disinterest. If you feel that you can be a part of this solution with us, I would love to hear from you.
Let me humbly say from the outset that I have as much to learn from this subject as the next parent. Further, I have no fear of cancel culture on this topic, even though I expect many would disagree with my perspectives. Why? Because I know who I am in Christ and am using the Word to discern and guide my thoughts. I know firsthand the challenges as a parent and father and I have seen pushback from children seemingly debunking any direction or guidance from teachers, care givers or parents. I see first-hand how teens in particular an invincibility in this culture have whereby “nobody is going to tell me what to do.”
Not unlike people in general, teens often do not see their sin or error in their ways. Therefore, many are not held to account, let alone see the need to repent. Truth seems to be what one chooses to believe. Anything goes and is acceptable. Look no further at marriage, the definition of which is no longer close to what the bible clearly declares in Genesis 2:24.
Back to the topic of discipline. First, a couple of bible verses pertinent to parents and then one with the command with a promise. Ephesians 6:4 reads, “Fathers do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Disciplining children without warning them is called provoking (no matter what the age). We are to give grace the first time we see our child do something that is not honoring of family values. Dishing out harsh discipline will likely lead to hardened hearts towards you and God. So, what are better approaches to discipline?
Proverbs 22:6 instructs to “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” Parents often want to make all the choices for their child, but this hurts them eventually. When parents teach a child how to make decisions, they can trust them and not have to watch every step they make. They know their children will remain on the right path because they have learned to make the choice themselves.
Lastly, Exodus 20:12 reads “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” This is the first command given to us with a promise attached. Children, and frankly adults, need to respect authority and build strong families. Honor means speaking well of parents. For children this means following their parents teaching of putting God first.
To land plane, or in this case my blog message, I believe we have been given special responsibility to raise our children the right way, with guidance and nurturing. Discipline is a sure sign of love. It also takes a village sometimes, and at LHCC, we also engage and share these gospel truths with parents, as we partner with them to raise the next generation. We want them to have a healthy reverence for The Word and the importance of recognizing and dealing with sin that ensnares all of us. To God be the glory for great things he has done and will continue to do for our youth and the next generation. Let’s commit ourselves to praying for discernment as we navigate the strong opposition from the cancel culture and the challenges of raising children in the current era.
Brent Morris
ED LHCC December 4, 2022
Bible verses taken from various versions. Commentary is from NIV Application Bible.
