by Dr. Paul Chappell

"I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also."

2 Timothy 1:3-5

Your child should learn of God from you, their parents.

A woman was preparing a meal for her family one night. She wanted to make their favorite meal and surprise them. As she was cooking, she laid out all the ingredients and began her work. When she grabbed the ketchup bottle to add to the mix, she realized the bottle wouldn't open. She did everything she knew how to get the bottle open but it wouldn't budge. Just then the phone rang. Speaking to her young daughter in the next room, she asked her to answer the phone while she was preoccupied. The daughter relayed that the preacher was on the phone for her mother. Still busy with the ketchup and not having time to spare, the mother told the daughter to tell the preacher she couldn't come to the phone and to take a message. The daughter then passed on her mother's words, "My mom can't come to the phone right now. She's hitting the bottle."

Sometimes our children do things that we can only laugh at. Other times they frustrate us with their behavior. But amid the ups and downs of parenting is the joy of training the next generation.

Thankfully, we don't have to face training our children alone. God has given us clear guidelines and practices for successful, God-honoring training of our children. One guideline is seen in Ephesians 6:4, "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Today, let's look at God's command to bring up our children by nurturing.

Nurturing has the idea of loving and caring for your children. It's a combination of teaching, training, and showing love. First, nurture should be biblical. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 says, "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 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."

God desires for you to teach your children of spiritual things. The job of teaching and training your children isn't your church's responsibility. It isn't done in the school. You, as your child's parent, are told by God to teach your child to love God, follow His leading, and place Him first in their lives.

Second, nurture should be from the heart. Proverbs 23:26 states, "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways." Parents can teach children all they want, but unless the teaching is from a heart-felt love and desire for the child's benefit, the teaching often falls short. Children know the difference between training out of frustration or anger and training out of love.

Are you training your children biblically? Take time to tell them Bible stories, quote to them Bible verses and teach them to follow God's direction in life. Also, make sure your training is from a heart of love. Training your children is a daily task that can sometimes leave you weary, but seek God's strength and commit to daily leading them closer to God.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Psalm 1-3 | Acts 17:1-15