Train up a child in the way he or she should go
Proverbs 22:6
In Proverbs 22:6, we are told as that we should “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Now, the question is, in what way should we train up our children?
Well, in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 says, “Hear O’ Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Ephesians 6:1-4 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise; That is may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Colossians 3:21 says, “Father, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discourage.”
Now, based upon these scriptures, we learn that we should train up our children in the way of the Lord so they can grow up to be Christian adults. Yes, sometimes our children will stray away from the Christian principles that are taught to them, but just like the prodigal son who strayed away from his father’s love and later came back home when he repented, if our children are taught the way of the Lord, even though they may stray away for a time, in God’s own time, they will come back to living the Christian principles that they were taught.
Now, how do we teach our children the way of the Lord? Well, in this message, I want to use the word, “child” to explain how we can teach our children the way of the Lord.
The first letter in the word “child” is the letter “c”. And the letter “c” stands for “Christ Jesus.” We must teach and train our children in the way of Jesus Christ because John 14:6 says that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man can come to the Father but by Him. We must teach and train our children the way of Jesus Christ because He is the Savior of the world. We must teach and train our children about what the Word says about Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, God in human flesh, who was born in a virgin birth of a virgin woman, who perform many great miracles, who died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead so that we might have everlasting life. We must train and teach our children to put their trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation, and for their daily needs.
The second letter in the word “child” is letter “h”. And the letter “h” stands for “holiness.” We must teach and train our children to be holy because I Peter 1:15-16 says, “But as he which hath called you is holy; so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” To teach our children to be holy means to teach our children to be Christ-like in everything they do or say. But to teach our children to be holy, we must discover what the third letter in “child”.
The third letter in “child” is “i”, and “i” means “instructions.” To teach and train our children about Jesus Christ, and how to live holy, they must be taught and trained with biblical instruction. And we find biblical instructions in the Word of God. 2nd Timothy 2:15-17 says “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scripture which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ.” All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
Now, how should we train and teach our children about Jesus Christ and how to live holy? Well the last two letters in “child” tells how us we can do it. The fourth letter in the word “child” is “l” and “l” means “love”. We must love our children enough to train and teach them about Jesus Christ. We must love our children enough to train and teach them to be holy in everything they do, say, or think. The scriptures says that if we do anything without love, including training up our children in the Lord, we have done nothing. So we must teach and train our children in love if we want to help them grow in their Christian faith.
Lastly, but not least, the last letter in the word, “child” is “d”, and “d” stands for “discipline.” Yes, we are to love our children while we are training them up in the way they should go in the LORD Jesus Christ, but that does not mean we should let them get away with every little thing.
Proverbs 13:24 says, He that spare his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth his betimes.
Proverbs 19:18 says, “Chasten thy son while there is still hope, and let not thy soul spre for his crying.”
Proverbs 22:15 says, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
Proverbs 23:13 says, “Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.”
Conclusion
To train up a child in the way of the Lord we must train and teach them about Christ. We must train and teach them how to be holy in everything they do, say, or think. And we train and teach our children with biblical instructions from the word of God with love and discipline.
