Committing our children to the Lord

Committing our children to the Lord

Train up a child in the way he should go…

Proverbs 22:6

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn

from it. (NIV)

Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it. (TLB)

Point your kids in the right direction — when they're old they won't be lost.

(THE MESSAGE)

Directive…… Result……

• Dedicate -- “to give to the gods” • A house (Deut 20:5) • Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:63; 2 Chro 7:5) • King Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold (Dan 3:2)

• Train • Setting aside • Narrowing or hedging in – from evil towards

godliness • Putting food in the palate of babies

Directive

…. in the way • “way” – path, roadmap, principles for parenting • “THE” – prescribed, definitive… the “proper” way

…. UP • Direction • Towards godliness • Encourage & challenge them to rise to their full

potential

Directive

… he should go • Not how parents want him to go • Not in the way he would go • But the way he SHOULD go • Discern the child’s individuality and God-given

special strength

"Can you give us any special instructions about how we should raise the baby after he is born?” (Judg 13:12)

Directive

Result

“As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.”

Alexander Pope

Early training shapes later life

Cool bent tree near Geraldton, W Australia

A Tale of 2 young men….. (from the Bible)

Early years spent with their parents…. then they were taken away….

but their feet had been set on the right path……

Result

• Brought up as a Hebrew child

• Taught in Egyptian court • Led Israelites out of

Egypt

• Grew up in Judah • Taken into captivity to

Babylon • Became PM of Babylon • Daniel in the Lion’s Den

Moses Daniel

John White

Result Directive

Not a promise, but common sense principles.

King David – Children are the source of great joy as well as great sorrow…. (Pro 23:24-25)

JOY…. Quiver full of them (Ps 127:3-5)

GRIEF…. “O Absalom… my son Absalom” (2 Sam 19:4)

Solomon would have broken David’s heart, if he had lived to see Solomon’s idolatry.

Rebekah….

Esau was a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah (Gen 26:35)

Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women.… (Gen 27:46)

R

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• Way of Jesus Christ (Jn 14:6) • Instill in them an unshakable faith, trust in God • Decision making – choose the right way • Holiness

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Susanna Wesley

• Susanna: "If I had stopped with 19 times, the whole labour would have been wasted!"

• Habit forming—minimum 21-28 days

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Prov 13:24 – “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” Prov 19:18 – “Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.”

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Prov 22:15 -- “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.” Prov 23:13 – “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.”

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James Dobson

James Dobson: start disciplining your children @ approximately 14 months of age…. after 4 years old, the concrete hardens a little and you have to work harder to break it up

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• Demonstrating how to do something • Giving a set of tools, demonstrating a skill

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• To feed & protect • To support & encourage • To bring up, train, educate

The sum of the environmental factors influencing the behavior.

Tiger on Tightrope Royal Hanneford Circus - Westchester NY, 2013-02-16

The only tiger in the world who has been trained to walk the tightrope

Parents are like tiger trainers….

A Tale of 4 Families

A Tale of 2 Schools

Jul 22, 2013, Business Circle Malaysia

Jul 23, 2013, Malaysiakini

SK Seri Pristana, Sungai Buloh

SK Lemoi, Tanah Rata, Pahang

SK Seri Pristana, Sungai Buloh

SK Seri Pristana, Sungai Buloh

SK Lemoi, Tanah Rata, Pahang

SK Lemoi, Tanah Rata, Pahang