Cast A Clear Vision For Sons And Daughters Series

It is my personal passion to do what I can to build strong homes in a culture where the family is being redefined and its importance is undermined. David lamented the same thing in Psalms 11, where he posed the poignant question, “…if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” If the foundations of our nation and of our churches and of our homes are destroyed, what will be left? I commend you for your interest in growing wise homes.

In this chapter will be talking about the power of casting a vision for your sons and daughters through the modeling of Biblical character. Every mom and every dad wants to provide the best for their family. We do our best to provide a good education, lifestyle and nice home. But the greatest provision of all is the provision of God’s favor on a family through godly living.

The Hebrew word for proverbs means, “a comparison.” Many of the verses in Proverbs are just that, a comparison between the wise way and the foolish way. Like many of the Middle Eastern cultures, the Jewish people did a lot of their teaching through proverbs. Proverbs are short, catchy, even pithy sentences that are easy to remember. They are condensed wisdom. Here is another one of those catchy little phrases that relates to parenting.

Two Attributes of Blessed Moms and Dads:

1. Having A Life of Godly Integrity Towards God and Man

Blessed moms and dads have integrity. The word integrity in this verse means, “complete.” For example, in the building and construction world they often reference “structural integrity.” Meaning that the facility is whole and without faults. The Ten Commandments, as found in the Old Testament, are some good rules for moral “integrity.” The Ten Commandments are divided into two parts, the first four talk about our rightness with God and the last six talk about our rightness with man. Some of the Commandments on the first table talk about how we need to love Him, honor Him, and put Him first. As parents, if we’re not careful we can allow other things to become gods to us. Godly parents who bring a blessing to their generations are those that have God as their god. Not money, or fame, or work, or pleasure, or beauty, or entertainment, or possessions or social position…but the God of the Bible.

In another one of the Commandments, the Bible warns against taking the name of the Lord in vain. The reason that God’s name is important to Him is because it is how we refer to God. This says a lot about how we feel about God. When we are cursing, we are actually saying what we think about God. When moms and dads curse, even if in private, or are not serious about serving God, they hurt the integrity of their family.

Keep on going down the first tablet and you will find another commandment that is required to maintain our moral integrity. It is the command to reserve one day each week to do nothing but honor God. Also known as the Sabbath day. This was not a legalistic thing where somehow they were not going to get to heaven if they didn’t go to church every week, it was about respecting God enough to set aside a time to worship Him. When our children see that we set time aside for God, this shows them that we respect and obey Him. God is asking on the Sabbath day, “How much you do respect Me?” When we respect God, it trickles down to our family. A respect of God in our lives builds respect in the lives of our family.

The second section of the Ten Commandments is about our responsibility towards man. For example, one very key principle in this section is that we must honor our parents. It’s interesting to me that God uses the word “honor.” This is a powerful concept. You are not saying that your parents are perfect. You are not saying that they are sinless. It’s about showing respect for the position. Courtesy is really what it comes down to. Courtesy for all they’ve done for us and meant to us. When parents honor their parents, children sense this. They see the importance of everyone honoring authority.

In the Ten Commandments, God also states that we should not bear false witness. Lying is speaking with an intent to deceive. It is leaving necessary truths out of stories. When we twist the facts or speak half-truths, our children pick up on that. God is saying that if you’re going to bring a blessing to your family, then you must be honest in your dealings with mankind. Good parenting begins with dynamic spiritual lives on the personal level. If I have a dynamic spiritual life, then almost automatically I’m going to be able to be a good parent.