Sinful little children

OracleX · Apr 14, 2003

I have been spending a fair bit of time reading and studying lately on parenting and fatherhood.  The last two things that I have looked at have opened my eyes drastically to something that I was over looking.

My beautiful little two year old who I think (most of the time

) is an angel, really is a sinful little child.

What she needs more than anything in this world is Christ and deliverance from her sins.  Am I doing everything I possibly can to raise her up in a manner that shows her Christ and that teaches her the ways of Christ?

Deuteronomy 6:7  "And thou shalt teach them 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."

Have I spent time teaching my daughter diligently?  Have I talked to her about Jesus when she wakes up?  Teacher her about Jesus during the day?  Have I prayed with her to Jesus every night?

Being a parent is a tall order.  Actually being a godly parent is a really tall order.  As parents we are responsible to fill our children with salt, and not just salt but pure, uncontaminated salt.  What we put in them will come out of them.  Garbage in, garbage out.

As parents we don't fail because of something that we do to our children.  We fail because of what we don't do for our children.  We fail when we don't teach them morning, noon and night about the wonders of the Almighty God.  We fail when we don't give them sound Biblical basis for things that we belive.  We fail when we don't show them how to put on and use the armor of God.  We fail when we don't pray for them every day.  We fail when we are not commited to them as Christ is commited to us.

In the past couple weeks I have learned more about what it means to be a goldy parent.  In the past couple of weeks I have realized the huge responsiblity that being a parent is.

My God bless every one of us that is a parent.  May He strengthen each and everyone of us to be a godly parent.

Didymus · Apr 14, 2003

make talking about Jesus natural at two she isn t ready to understand a lot except that Jesus loves her. our heavenly father does not want you stressing over this . He will insturct you as you go along.

OracleX · Apr 14, 2003

It isn't just teaching her truths or 'doctrine,' it is giving her a Biblical foundation to everything in life. At two years and change, she understands way more than we give her credit for. She often suprises us with comments that show that she is listening to what we say and watching what we do.

Praying before we eat.
Taking time for devotions every morning.
Reading her Bible and Bible stories everyday.
When we go for a walk through the forest, telling her who made the trees and everything around us.

I don't believe that there is such a thing as starting too early. You feed them what they are able to understand as each age. Regaurdless of what they understand, our lives as parents must mirror Christ. Our children must see Christ in us. That can be see and understood at any age.

ZiSunka · Apr 14, 2003

Don't spend a lot of time preaching at your two year old. Preaching doesn't do nearly as much as LIVING out what you believe. The way you integrate your beliefs with your behavior is much more important than having family devotions or praying before meals.

I know a lot of families who were very religious, with the father taking the active role in pounding the Bible into his little ones' heads, but the parents' lives did not match their preachings, and the children quickly figured out that it was just a bunch of words designed to make the parents feel superior, and not what they really lived.

The best way to reach your little girl is to be a good, godly man, full of love for her and everyone else, living radically the way Christ did. There's no record that Christ ever had devotions with his disciples, but they learned by watching his life.

Beckijhn · Apr 14, 2003

OracleX - I'm there with you! The Bible tells us to instruct our children when we rise up, when we sit down, when we go to bed. Making him a part of our day in EVERYTHING we do goes so far in raising them to be godly adults.

Yes our little sinners need instruction from day one. I know my Sunday School teacher (now a grandma) sang praise songs and taught her kids verses from the start. It's cool to see her daughter (my age with kids) whip out verses in response to her questions.

In raising our children we have to be proactive from day one in all areas of their lives. Raising them in 'the way they should go' is the highest priority!!

Living out our faith, showing them the way. The Bible says to hide his word in our hearts, so I also like the kids to memorize verses.

Ba'Alzamon · Apr 14, 2003

Leave her to make her own decisions when she grows up. There's nothing I hate more than when I look back and see what my parents did to me.

Sure, the Bible says to teach your children all about Jesus and the good god and nothing about the contradictions and adoptions from pagan religions... but when your daughter finds out about these later in life (as I did), things might get ugly.

Instead of teaching your daughter all about religion, I'd concentrate on teaching her social morals and values. Of course, you might believe that these require a religion. I seem to have them without religion.

Of course, I'm only 18...

OracleX · Apr 14, 2003

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up <chanak> a child <na`ar> in the way <derek> he should go <peh>: and when he is old <zaqen>, he will not depart <cuwr> from it."

The word train here is not just a light word. It is not to mean to show them their options. It doesn't mean let them do what they want.

Lambslove - I agree with what you are saying. The younger they are, the more they need to see Christ in us, verses being 'preached' at. As they grow older though, we are to give them a foundation that is solid in every area of thier life.

Ba'Alzamon - I can understand where you are coming from. I sounded the same way when I was your age. And yet, now that I am older, I am glad my parents made some of the desicions that they did. Parents have every right and have the responsiblility to guide their children Biblical ways of life. As parents we need to make sure that our children are not contaminated by the wolrd. In todays day and age, that is a very tough thing to do. That means that parents need to filter and make some decisions for their children to not only protect them, but to keep their salt from being contaminated.

Matthew 5:13 "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."[/i]

God forbid that our children become people who have lost their savour.

Beckijhn · Apr 14, 2003

If you learn the great commission and then the ten commandments (as far as religious teachings) you won't have a problem with social morals and values. At least not good social morals and values

Part of being a Christian is following what God has told us to do through his word. And part of that is teaching our children. Period. End of story. So obey God or don't.

ps - choose God.

OracleX · Apr 14, 2003

Amen Becki.

Christ was not a moral man - Christ was a godly man who walked in the footsteps and will of His Father.

We need to teach our children more than just morals. They need to be taugh to look at life, in every aspect, through the Word of God.

Didymus · Apr 14, 2003

read the psalms to her from the kjv. i did that to my girls when they were infants. it is oothing for them and beats fairy tales and nursery rymes although they have a place too. use dolls to act out a stor is a good reinforcement for when she gets older.

OracleX · Apr 14, 2003

Thanks for the idea Didymus! I have been wondering what to read to her. Psalms would be a great place to start.

Why KJV?

ZiSunka · Apr 14, 2003

Today at 07:35 PM OracleX said this in Post #7

Ba'Alzamon - I can understand where you are coming from. I sounded the same way when I was your age.

Yea, me, too. I thought I knew everything about contradictions and paganisms and now the Bible is an archaic book oppressing women and minorities and all that. Then I actually got into studying it and I found out it wasn't what I thought it was...A few years will give BA some perspective. Just wait til he faces some real hardships and needs something to comfort him...

God forbid that our children become people who have lost their savour.

But utimately, it's up to them to decide to follow your God or reject him. No amount of Bible quoting or preaching is going to do that. An integrated life for God is the only thing that going to amount to a hill of beans for her. I just lost a friend whose parents pounded him 24/7 with the Bible and Chrsitian rhetoric, but he didn't see them living it out and he rejected it. He died without Christ, not because he didn't believe that Jesus is the way, nor because he didn't want to go to heaven to be with God, but because if that's where his parents were, he didn't want to be there, too. It's a fine line between teaching them morning noon and night and hurting their souls with too much Bible-mindedness.

OracleX · Apr 14, 2003

But utimately, it's up to them to decide to follow your God or reject him. No amount of Bible quoting or preaching is going to do that. An integrated life for God is the only thing that going to amount to a hill of beans for her. I just lost a friend whose parents pounded him 24/7 with the Bible and Chrsitian rhetoric, but he didn't see them living it out and he rejected it. He died without Christ, not because he didn't believe that Jesus is the way, nor because he didn't want to go to heaven to be with God, but because if that's where his parents were, he didn't want to be there, too. It's a fine line between teaching them morning noon and night and hurting their souls with too much Bible-mindedness.

Wise words once again Lambslove.

Could it come down to love? In that how we teach them. I pray that I will never Bible thump my daughter, but I also pray that my daughter will see that I try my very best to live accourding to it in every part of my life. I think it comes down to mirroring Christ in our lives. Beyond that, all we can do is pray our hearts out.

Gods Word says that parenthood is to be a thing of joy. But sometimes, parenthood scares me half to death.

ZiSunka · Apr 14, 2003

Love IS the ticket!

Parenting is sometimes very stressful, but you sound like good dad. How loving you are for being so concerned with doing the right thing for your little ones!

God bless you and may all your children grow up to serve the Living God!

Ba'Alzamon · Apr 15, 2003

Yesterday at 04:17 PM Didymus said this in Post #10

read the psalms to her from the kjv. i did that to my girls when they were infants. it is oothing for them and beats fairy tales and nursery rymes although they have a place too. use dolls to act out a stor is a good reinforcement for when she gets older.

Yes... what a positive message in Psalms 137:9 -- "Happy shall they be who dash their little ones against the rocks."

straightforward · Apr 15, 2003

Yesterday at 01:53 PM Ba'Alzamon said this in Post #6

Leave her to make her own decisions when she grows up. There's nothing I hate more than when I look back and see what my parents did to me.

Sure, the Bible says to teach your children all about Jesus and the good god and nothing about the contradictions and adoptions from pagan religions... but when your daughter finds out about these later in life (as I did), things might get ugly.

Instead of teaching your daughter all about religion, I'd concentrate on teaching her social morals and values. Of course, you might believe that these require a religion. I seem to have them without religion.

Of course, I'm only 18...

Please don't think this is the end of the road for you...i was where you are when I was 18 (not a derogatory statement at all...as a matter of fact I hate to admit I'm not still 18!) and I was there until I was 30! My parents didn't do much for me as far as teaching me 'religion' although my mother would argue that she did. After I started questioning the sunday school teachers and they couldn't answer (I was somewhere around 15 and catholic) I started my own search and got alot of info on the 'contradictions and adoptions from pagan religions'. It completely shattered my belief. My mistake being I wanted to get rid of all of the 'religion' that had been crammed down my throat and I turned to get all these 'contradictions etc.' crammed down my throat...how was it that the later tasted better? Anyway...It took me 15 yrs of searching before God showed me that His word was true! 'Seek Me and you shall find Me...if you seek Me with all your heart.' I guess, as a parent now, I don't want to show them 'religion' as much as the Truth. I wasted alot of years away from the Lord...I seriously don't want my kids to have to go through that. I show them through how I live and any question they can come up with about the bible I tell them to bring it on. I love to 'dig' through the bible and show them that all we need to know is in there and it leads to real life. I would want nothing more for them than to know how to read and apply the 'owners manual' on life...the bible.

As far as a two yr. old...my littlest is going to be two in May. He sees me reading my bible and he hears all of the words that go on about God. He's not really talking...I think he's just holding out as he is the youngest of four boys and doesn't have to talk to get what he wants most of the time. I do think it is important to see us pray even if he doesn't quite understand it yet. To say it is not important to start showing Christ to your two yr. old would be like saying manners aren't important. We tell him not to bite...we tell him not to hit...we tell him not to spit...we're showing him how to brush his teeth...potty training...how to be nice to the dog and cat...how to love...and so much more. Wouldn't it just be normal to show him the most important thing he could ever learn (God)?

Ba'Alzamon · Apr 15, 2003

Yesterday at 02:35 PM OracleX said this in Post #7

Ba'Alzamon - I can understand where you are coming from. I sounded the same way when I was your age. And yet, now that I am older, I am glad my parents made some of the desicions that they did. Parents have every right and have the responsiblility to guide their children Biblical ways of life.

The right, yes.  Responsibility?  I doubt it.  A lot of people have grown up and lived excellent lives without being guided in the biblical ways of life.  Last time I checked, there wasn't a legitimate law (throwing bible quotes at me != legitimate) that says it's a parent's responsibility to teach their children biblical ways of life.  But go ahead and do that.  Like I said, it's your right to do so.  However, if I were to have children, I would neither affirm nor deny any existance of a divine power.  Instead, I would present differing opinions, give my opinion, and allow my child to draw his/her own conclusions.

Of course, I don't plan on having children.

As parents we need to make sure that our children are not contaminated by the wolrd. In todays day and age, that is a very tough thing to do. That means that parents need to filter and make some decisions for their children to not only protect them, but to keep their salt from being contaminated.

God forbid that our children become people who have lost their savour.

What do you mean by "contaminated by the world"?  Would a better phrasing be "make sure our children don't see what the world is really like"? 

Also, fight against it as much you like, but children are born without a saviour.  Until they can understand language, they have no knowledge of religion.  Yeah... sure... you'll say they do, blah, blah, blah.

I'd like to see you back that up, though.  Of course, you'll say that it's my obligation to back up my claim.

At which point I'll laugh and ignore you.

OracleX · Apr 15, 2003

It is the responsiblity of each and every parent to bring up children in God. That was the whole purpose behind reproducing. Have children and bring them up in the Lord so that they may have children and bring them up in the Lord, etc, etc. To say that it is not the responsibility of a parent to do so would be to throw out many passages of the Bible.

Children are born without a savior, yes. They are born as sinful creatures. Right from conception they are a sinful creature. They remain a sinful creature till they die AND have accepted Christ as Saviour. The Bible very clearly states that ALL have sinned.

If you are going to make claims then, yes you should be ready to back them up. Laugh all you want and ignore if you like - no skin off my nose

Sinful little children

Healer of Broken Hearts

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can t spell--can t type

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It means 'yellow dog'

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