Raising Children God's Way: (1) The Parent’s First Responsibility

Lesson 1 of 4: audio and written syllabus included. Session 1: The Parent’s First Responsibility Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Where to Begin God’s instruction to parents does not begin with what to do; rather it begins with what not to do. The first requirement for parents is “provoke not your children to wrath.” Colossians 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. God’s instruction to parents begins with what not to do; so, obviously there is a wrong way to do this. A So Called “Enlightened Approach” The modern wisdom of this world misrepresents, abandons, and condemns God’s loving method for raising children. Increasingly, the belief that an adult should control a child is in itself considered wrong, as well as all practices that attempt that end. Child Neglect Faced with the uncontrolled and destructive behaviors of their children, and feeling inadequate and unequipped for the role, parents increasingly abdicate the real responsibility of parenting to teachers, child psychologists, governmental agencies, and other designated experts in the field of child development. However, God did not give that responsibility to those people. He gave it to parents. And it is a responsibility that no parent should ever neglect. Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” As believers we need to realize just how vital our responsibility to train our children is. It is more than just their academic education, or even their physical health; it is their eternal life that may be affected. The Image of Abuse For the majority of people in our society today, spanking is synonymous with child abuse. Who can blame them? They have repeatedly been shown the image of the parent who is totally out of control; enraged, screaming and beating the living daylights out of their chil