Parenting That Works

Deut. 6:4-8

4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Our text goes on to tell us how important it is to teach our kids about what God has done for our country and in our own personal lives. Why? So that they don’t follow after other gods and end up bringing a curse on themselves - on their families and on their nation. You see parenting affects you – your kids and your country.

The importance of teaching and training is also emphasized in the New Testament. Listen to this verse:

Ephesians 6:4

4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

There are many other texts that I could highlight for you this morning but I think you get the point. Parents must train their children. I read a recent Barna report which stated that most parents want to raise their kids to become mature Christian adults who make a positive difference in this world. But they just don’t know how to do it. So this morning I am going to give you three laws that you as a parent need to teach your kids and then train them on how to apply these laws to their lives.

T.S. - Parenting that works and transforms their immature children into mature Christian adults teach the three nonnegotiable laws of maturity. The three laws are the law of sowing and reaping, the law of respect, and the law of responsibility. Let’s explore each one.

I. Law One - The principle of how to live life is the law of sowing and reaping.

a. Galatians 6:7-10 7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

i. Parents need to teach this spiritual principle to their children if they want them to become successful in their lives.

1. They need to tell, teach, reiterate, model and demonstrate to their children the importance of planting good seed for a good life.

a. They need to see you plant and watch as God brings the harvest into your life.

b. This seeding process has a lot to do with:

i. Your actions

ii. Your lifestyle

iii. Your priorities in life

iv. Your focus for life

v. Your daily routine

vi. How you spend your money

vii. How you view the church and the world

viii. What your values are

ix. Your giving habits to the Kingdom of God