Wisdom For Children And Parents Series

We're not only told to discipline our children but that we should give them instruction of the Lord. What is meant by instruction is both verbal information and verbal warning. The word literally means “to place before the mind.” Instruction contains the idea of teaching and also the element of confrontation. We must share with our children both the blessings of serving Jesus and the hazards of failing to do so. In 1 Samuel 3:11-13 we read, “And the Lord said to Samuel, `See, I'm about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family --- from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them'“ (NIV). This passage is interesting because the Greek word for “restrain” in the Septuagint is the same root as the word for “instruction” here in Ephesians 6:4. Instruction means that at times we must aggressively restrain our children with the truth.

Whatever we do, however, it is our responsibility to nurture, train, and instruct our children in what it means to follow Jesus. The greatest gift we could ever give our children would be a desire to know Jesus. To do that we must use every opportunity to share with them by our lips and lives just how important Jesus is to us. As we live before them, honestly admitting our faults and mistakes, demonstrating Godly love, and grace, living out the fruit of the spirit, genuinely seeking to be all God would have us be, then we will be doing all we can do to assure that one day they will come to know Jesus. Our lives only intersect for a fleeting moment of time, it is so very important that we make the most of it.

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