(Luke 2: 52; Ephesians 6:1-3)
The Bible says that one of the reasons why God instituted marriage was the bringing up of godly offspring. Prophet Malachi asks, “Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit, they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring” (Malachi 2:15a). But godly children don’t just happen. They are the products of homes of godly parents who take their God-given responsibility of parenting seriously. Although the Bible clearly states that “sons are a heritage from the LORD, (and) children a reward from him” (Psalm 127:3), everyone would admit that children are far from perfect. And this is the point that anyone desirous of raising God-fearing children should take note of. That innocent-looking son or daughter at birth is far from being right with God, the Sum of all righteousness. Indeed, the Bible says that “even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb, they are wayward and speak lies” (Psalm 58:3). Children also inherit the sinful nature that is the lot of all human beings from Adam and Eve. This is why no one has to teach a child to tell lies and commit other sins.
The raising of godly children should begin from conception in their mothers’ wombs. As parents become aware of their helplessness in shaping the lives of their children in line with the will of God, they should call upon God for help as a new life develops in the mother’s womb. The Psalmist’s hymn of praise to God for His mighty work in fashioning him demonstrates the reasonableness of prayer to God while a child is being formed in the womb of its mother. The Psalmist said, “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depth of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13-16).
At birth, the child begins its visible life in a relationship with others including the parents. It becomes the responsibility of parents to take care of the child by providing for him or her. What Pharaoh’s daughter said to Moses’ mother when she handed him over to her for nursing and caring can very well represent God’s word to every parent at the birth of every child. She said, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay you” (Exodus 2:9). The quality of care and training given to children determines whether or not they would be godly. A lot of parents have failed to give a well-rounded training to their children A child can and is expected to grow in four distinct areas of life, namely, intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially. Concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible records for us that He “increased in wisdom (intellectually), and stature (physically), and in favour with God (spiritually), and men (socially)” (Luke 2:52). His development was total, and He thereby reveals to us God’s pattern for the full development of our children. There is a tendency on the part of parents to focus their attention on one or two of these areas in the upbringing of their children. We shall consider each of these four distinct areas in turn.
First, a godly child must develop intellectually. A human being is a composite of the body, the soul, and the spirit. With the body, he moves about on the surface of the earth and has a distinct personality. The body allows him to relate well with his environment through the senses of smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing. The soul of man has three functions, namely, the mind, the will, and the emotion. With the mind, he thinks; with the will, he chooses; and with the emotion, he feels. The spirit is the seat of man’s intuitive powers; his conscience; and his ability to commune with God. If a child would be godly, his mind must be developed aright. The writer of the Book of Proverbs said, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23); and “a sound heart (mind) is the life of the flesh” (Proverbs 14:30). A man will inevitably become what he thinks (Proverbs 23:7). The mind of man from birth is corrupt. The Bible describes it as “futile” (Ephesians 4:17); “dark” (Ephesians 4:18); and as “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Our Lord Jesus Christ said that nothing good could proceed from the mouth of a man because of the state of the human mind or heart. According to Him, “out of the heart (or mind) proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19). God declares, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thought than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8,9). God is saying that man is very far from Him in his thinking. When a child is born, his mind is filled with human viewpoints on all aspects of life. He grows up to appreciate life in the same way as other worldlings around him appreciate it and his behaviour is therefore not different from those of people around him that may be outrightly evil. No man can live in the way God wants him to live if he does not think the way God thinks. He must learn to see things from God’s perspective. A child’s training should begin with helping him or her to see life from God’s perspective. He must be made to acknowledge God in every area of life. Whenever the education of a child is severed from the foundation of the acknowledgement of God, the child becomes a fool instead of a wise person. There are many persons claiming to be wise today because of their ‘intellectual’ prowess who are nothing more than fools in the sight of God. Such persons declare that “there is no God” (Psalm 14:1).
Secondly, a godly child must develop physically. The Bible says that “Jesus grew in . . . stature” (Luke 2:52), that is, He grew physically. Parents must provide good food and water; comfortable clothing; and a clean environment for their children. It is unfortunate that many parents do not take adequate care of their children in this regard. Many children are malnourished and susceptible to preventable diseases that inflict permanent injuries on them or cause their death. A child learns a lot about the fatherhood of God from the willingness and ability of his parents to provide for him or her. Children do not ask to be born; it is the parents who take such a decision. They are, therefore, expected to accept full responsibility for providing for their children. When the physical needs of children are met by their parents, they grow in their appreciation of God as a loving Heavenly Father, and they would desire to have a relationship with Him. A lot of children are driven far away from God because of the poor image of fatherhood that their earthly fathers present to them. Parents should, therefore, not have more children than they can adequately provide for with the resources given to them by God.
Thirdly, a godly child must develop spiritually. It is said of our Lord Jesus Christ that He “grew . . . in favour with God” (Luke 2 :52). Our children must be led to know Jesus in a personal way as Lord and Saviour. It is not enough to teach them Bible stories and take them to Sunday Schools. The power of God to live according to the Scriptures can only be theirs after they have been led to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. Many godly parents have wondered why the children they took pains to teach the Bible forsook the way after some time. A number of such children were frustrated by their failure to live according to the light received through the teaching of their parents. After a child has been led to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, the parents should continue to disciple the child using the Word of God. Several times in the Book of Proverbs, we see the writer imploring his children to hear his instructions and not to forsake his commandments (see Proverbs 1:8; 3:1-3; 4:1-4, 10-11, 20-22; 5:1-2; 6:20-25; 8:32, 33; 23:22).
Fourthly, a godly child must develop socially. He must learn to relate well to others, both his parents and outsiders. Children must be taught their responsibilities to their parents and other persons that they interact with. In Exodus 20:12, God gave this fourth commandment, namely, “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Several times in other passages of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, this commandment was repeated (see Deuteronomy 5:16; Matthew 15:4; 19:19; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Ephesians 6: 2,3) to show that it is still relevant today. Godly children must honour their parents. In Leviticus 19:3, the Bible says to children, “each of you must respect his mother and father” (see also Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20). God views any contrary behaviour seriously and recommends the stiffest penalty for offenders. God recommends the death penalty for children who beat up their parents. According to Exodus 22:15, “anyone who attacks his father or mother must be put to death.” A stubborn and rebellious son was also killed in Israel. In Deuteronomy 21:18-21, God laid down the following law, “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, this son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and drunkard. Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.”
A child who dishonours his father or mother will live under the curse of God (Deuteronomy 27:16). Ungodly children who curse their parents are taking a very great risk and we cannot rule the possibility that it was the judgment of God that fell on many who died prematurely. In the Book of Proverbs, we read that “if a man curses his father or mother, his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness. . . The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.” (20:20; 30:17).
Godly children must also be taught to respect the elderly. In Leviticus 19:32, God laid down this law, “rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.” Some children have brought curses upon themselves for failing to respect their elders. Prophet Elisha was mocked by some children of Bethel who called out to him, “Go on up, you baldhead!” Elisha “turned around, looked at them and called out a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youth” (2 Kings 2:23-24).
It is clear from the above that bringing up godly children is not an easy task. It requires the greatest amount of self-discipline on the part of parents. No parent can successfully bring up a godly child if he or she is also not godly since like begets like. It is necessary for a parent to be born again if he will be able to lead his child to Jesus Christ. If you wish to give your life to Christ as a parent, please pray the following prayer to God: “Dear God, I thank you for sending Jesus into the world to die for my sins. I repent from my sins and invite Jesus into my life as my personal Lord and Saviour. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”
If you are a child, are you developing as Jesus did or is there an area in which you fall short? If there is, it is the will of God for you to retrace your steps, put your faith in God and begin to grow, as God desires. Remember that you cannot develop properly without the power of God in your life. This power is made available to you when you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. If you wish to do so, you can pray the prayer above.
Your eternal salvation and spiritual well-being are our concerns. If you prayed to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, please write to let us know through the address below. You may also join us in worshipping God in Yoruba language at 7.30 a.m. or in English language at 9.00 a.m. every Sunday.
- Rev. Kayode Ilupeju,
Good News Baptist Church,
47/49, Olufemi Road,
Off Ogunlana Drive,
Surulere, Lagos.
Tel.: 0803-302-1008.
