A Mandate from God!
Our Lord has called all of us into a holy call. The call may differ from others. One may be called to be a trucker, a secretary, a nurse, farmer, preacher … but if it is our calling from the Lord, it is holy. I do believe that every man, every woman, who is allowed by God to parent, has a most holy call. I never felt that I could minister effectively to others if I did not first be the wife my Lord called me to be or mother of my own children. A parent is entrusted with eternal being(s) that Jesus willingly died for.
Parents have a mandate from God that says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart form it” (Prov. 22:6). “Train” means to initiate and so educate. It means to show him the duties, the dangers, and the blessings of the path. The child needs the directions how to perform the duties, how to escape the dangers, and how to secure the blessings, which all lie before him. A child needs daily instruction until their impressions become indelible. These impressions practiced will cause his training to become habit. …And most of all, invite God’s wisdom, direction, and blessing upon this training. We then have the promise, “…and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The words “train up” are the word Chanok. It signifies to dedicate or consecrate anything to the service of God. It is vital that parents dedicate their children to the Lord for His purpose, their holy call.
All of this training certainly takes time. I realize that fathers and mothers live busy lives, but we have a mandate from God concerning our children that we are responsible to obey. Too many children are thrown to the schools, sports, other activities, TV’s, and their friends to train them. Some of these things are important, but it is a parent’s role to train their own children. I counsel young boys who are treated with contempt by their fathers because they show no interest in sports or they are not excelling in school, or are not becoming who their fathers want them to be. Every child is different, not wrong, just different. Why do some of my males struggle with homosexuality? Often times, because their fathers have treated them with disrespect for who they are. The young man is told by satan that he is not like his father, so he is different; it is okay to be homosexual. We know that this is a lie. This opposes the Word of God.
Fathers are instructed in Ephesians 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Also in Colossians 3:21, “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” Fathers and mothers must train but do so with unconditional love and long suffering. “Provoke not … to wrath” means “not to anger alongside”. Fathers are too often training in anger, which is provoking a child to wrath; exasperation, spiritless, disheartened, and dismayed. They become open-targets for satan and his strategies of deception. Why …Because they determine, father’s way is too hard. I can’t do it. I can’t be like him. “I quit.” …Then, they often act out what satan has told them.
I pray that our fathers and mothers will be examples for their children, demonstrating what true training is all about. Do our children see us pray? Do they see us reading their Bible? Is church counted as vital in life? “Oh Father, in Jesus’ name, help our fathers and mothers to train their children in the way that they should go, with the promise that when their children are old, they will not depart. Amen!”