Blessing To Our Next Generation
Devotion 6 - Blessing to our Next Generation
Parenting is
difficult and complex especially in this competitive modern society where our
moral and ethical values are constantly being challenged. With ungodly
influences and societal pressures around us, saying parenting is “difficult” is
an understatement. It
takes great diligence to go against the flow of the anti-family headwind in
society, and going with the flow is likely fatal!
History clearly affirms that
family is the foundation of society and the building block of every nation. It
is healthy family units that give stability to society. If we do not build
better homes, we will have to build more prisons and half-way houses. If we do
not teach our children, society will; and we, together with our children, will have
to live with the outcome.
And as children of God, we are
called to be stewards of all that He has put under our care and we believe that
parenting is one of the higher, if not, the highest form of calling on stewardship.
Unfortunately,
one of the reasons it is so difficult to bring up children right is because
they tend to imitate their parents. Generally, what they behold, they become.
The power of influence one has on the next generation is both encouraging and
terrifying. And this does not happen to just our physical children, but to all
our spiritual children as well.
Ps.112:1-3 – “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights
greatly in his commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright
will be blessed. Wealth
and riches will be in
his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
Psalm 128:1-4 – “Blessed is everyone
who fears the Lord, who walks in his
ways.
When you eat the labour of your hands,
you shall be happy, and it shall be well with
you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
In these two
Scriptures, we see how God’s blessing is poured in the family, to the next
generation, if we walk in the fear of the Lord. A satisfying home that is
greatly blessed by the Lord is promised to those who fear the Lord.
Our world can be a dark and tempting place, but God is sovereign. He is
trustworthy as we walk with Him. Do not allow anxiety to guide the way we raise
our children. For if it does, our children will sense that disquieting spirit,
and either rebel against us or adopt the same mindset of fear.
Just as love casts our fear (1John.4:18), it seems fears also casts out
love. Parenting out of fear can make us an overbearing, controlling parent.
Raise our children to fear God, and He will guide them. Too many times,
controlling parents react to their children out of fear and end up damaging
their relationship with them.
The call to godly parenting is but a call and responsibility to prepare and
nurture our children to walk diligently in the fear of the Lord. When our lives
exemplify a life of obedience lived out in fear of the Lord, it lays a good foundation in our children’s lives, and their hearts
will always respond well towards God’s love. It will help to set the
pathway for their heart to pursue God with all their heart, soul and body.
We all need God as the source of our blessing because the best in life can
only be found in Him. We can do well on our own: achieve success, make good money,
have a family, live a long life, etc. but the BEST in our life can only come
from the God when we learn to walk in fear of Him!
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