Training our children is an Exercise of Love

Many of us are deep in the journey of caring for God's most precious gifts to us..."our children". In this journey, we all have at times feel jubilation, enthusiasm and frustration and at the same time so many are experiencing hopelessness. This post is to bring encouragement regarding the hope that is available to us for Parenting at the feet of our Lord and Savior.

Consider these points:
Date: February 25, 2007 Title: Training Them Up: Parenting Younger Children

Speaker: Kenneth Maresco
Scripture Passage: Ephesians 6:1-4

Main Point: God's call to parent our children well comes with the promise of grace in time of need.

Key Ideas

1. Training our children is an exercise of love.. Training is nourishing our children with love and affection (see Eph. 5:29- the word 'nourishes' is the same Greek word translated 'bring them up' in Eph. 6:4).

2. Our training is based on the instruction of God's word. . We represent God to our children - his character, his ways, and ultimately his saving grace in the Gospel.

3. Training involves teaching our children to submit to our authority.. Helping our children respond to our authority when they are young prepares them to respond to God's authority when they are grown.

4. Training our children requires consistent discipline.. Discipline is a loving expression of consequences for disobedience to clearly communicated standards.. Discipline requires us to be willing to displease our children.. Every time of discipline is a gospel opportunity.. Model/demonstrate what obedience looks like.. Train your children outside of temptation (if we wait till our children have disobeyed to train them we will exasperate them and be quicker to lose patience). . Encourage obedience with joy.

5. Parenting small children is hard work and requires faith . God is sympathetic with weaknesses, but he is not sympathetic with our unbelief. If we are content with hopelessness, the remedy is repentance, and trust in the promises of God for us as parents and for our children.


To listen to this message http://www.covfel.org/resources..

Resource: Shepherding A Child's Heart, by Tedd Tripp
http://www.shepherdpress.com