Children—A Gift And A ResponsibilityPrøve

The Fruit of Discipling Children If we were to plant a mango seed, it’s obvious that we can expect a mango tree that produces mangoes. No one will expect it to transform into an apple tree to produce apples. The same principle applies to bringing up children. Every baby born into this world is God’s precious little gift from heaven. However, what we as parents or adults around them sow into their lives, will determine the kind of adults they turn out to be. Every child is a little seed with the potential to grow and become useful and productive—the opposite is also true. The Lord clearly commanded parents in Deuteronomy 6:1-9 to obey the Lord’s commands diligently and pass them on to their children, so they could be assured that the next generation and the ones to come would be a godly and fruitful generation. On the other hand, if they didn’t, there was no telling what the outcome would be. When we plant a seed, we can do two things: one is to water it and nurture it so it grows to become a strong and healthy plant or neglect it, so it is of no use to anyone. King Solomon in Proverbs 22:6 puts it this way, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” We have the responsibility to teach, disciple, discipline and encourage our children in the ways of the Lord while they are young and mouldable. If we desire to see our children exhibit Christian character (as mentioned in Galatians 5:22- 23, “The fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control") in their lives when they grow up, this is possible only if we have taught them to commit their lives to the Lord and live in obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit when they are young. If the foundation of a high-rise building is firm, no one needs to worry about it’s strength and stability. Many parents have neglected or forgotten to lay a godly foundation for their children, and are desperately trying to reconstruct and rectify things when children have grown up.  Let’s remind ourselves from Galatians 6:7, “a man reaps what he sows.” Let us sow godly values in our children and enjoy the benefits of raising a godly generation. Written by Esther Collins for Movement Day Chennai