____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ July 7, 1991 ____________________________________________________ CHILDREN by Tom Edwards Jacob referred to his offspring in Genesis 33:5 as being the ``children whom God (had) graciously given'' him. A similar thought is brought out in Psalm 127:3-5: ``Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.'' Furthermore, it was Solomon who said that ``Grandchildren are the crown of old men....'' (Prov. 17:6). Coupled with the blessing of children is the responsibility to raise one's offspring in accordance with God's moral and righteous precepts. Even during Old Testament times, parents had been entrusted with this serious task: In Deuteronomy 6:6,7, the following command is given to those of the Mosaical period: ``And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.'' Children need the instruction of God's word just as much in our time as those during the Mosaical Age. They need to be made aware of God's greatness and His intense love for them and also be instilled with the proper respect towards God in view of these truths. The seriousness of obeying the Lord and the consequence of sin must also be stressed to our young people. When is a good time to begin this? In writing to Timothy, Paul acknowledged that this young servant of the Lord had ''...from childhood...known the sacred writings which are able to give...the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus'' (2 Tim. 3:15). Corresponding to this, is Solomon's wise admonition for young people to ``Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, `I have no delight in them.''' He also writes in Proverbs 22:6 an encouraging truism for the one who will take the time to instruct his young; the passage states: ``Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.'' (A ``truism'' describes that which generally speaking is so.) Part of this training involves the proper discipline and even punishment, if need be. Though many parents today are opposed to physical punishment, this is certainly not to be inferred from the Bible. Consider God's instruction about this matter during the Old Covenant times: Proverbs 13:24, ``He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.'' Proverbs 22:15, ``Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.'' Proverbs 23:13, ``Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you beat him with the rod, he will not die.'' Proverbs 23:14, ``You shall beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from Sheol.'' Certainly, this is sufficient to get the point across. The principle of having to sometimes use physical punishment for moral upbringing is just as needful today as it was during this Old Testament period. When I think of these above passages, it causes me to also be mindful of the discipline that two of our members used to use with their own children when they were here with us. I can remember one individual saying, at the time, that she thought it was cruel to spank a child who was too young to understand. Today, however, as we view the son and the daughter, who are now a few years older, it is obvious that the proper discipline helped shape them to become the well-behaved children they now are. Apparently, using the ``board of education'' on the ``seat of learning'' had produced positive results with these pre-schoolers. A message was instilled that perhaps could not have been conveyed through any other means. I also heard a similar story of a man in Charleston who had a larger family of four children. His disciplinary measures were sometimes frowned upon by the other members of the church where he attended, until the other members were able to see how well his children had developed as a result. No more did they have anything negative to say about his approach. He had tried to follow the Bible, and the results were four well-mannered children who are now all members of the body of Christ and active in their service to the Lord: one of the sons, preaching on a regular basis; and one of the daughters, a preacher's wife; and the other two children, to be just as highly commended for their godliness and stand for the truth. Children without the proper nurture and discipline will be no better than a garden that is left unattended. Weeds of unruliness that are not uprooted will eventually take over and choke the tender buds of proper development and, consequently, keep them from sprouting the beautiful petals of obedience, decency, and a dignified behavior. Are we more concerned today with violets and gardenias than seeing to the proper cultivation of our own children? No flower will ever have to give an account of itself before God in the Judgment Day, but this can not be said about our children who have grown to that age of accountability. Let us, therefore, place the importance where it belongs and act accordingly. If God has blessed you with offspring, He has also granted you one of the greatest responsibilities: to help those little children to grow ``in the grace and knowledge'' of Jesus Christ. The sound teaching of the gospel is the most important legacy that can be handed down from one generation to the next. For it alone, yields the promise of an endless life in eternal bliss and instructs the hearer how to live the best life possible on earth. May we each strive to help our children grow in the good soil of God's truth, where the Lord may shower his abundant blessings upon them during this life and help them to keep developing for that greater life to come. ___________________________________________ Grandpa Knew Best Junior bit the meter man, Junior bit the cook, Junior's anti social now (According to the book). Junior smashed the clock & lamp, Junior hacked the tree (Destructive trends are treated In chapters 2 and 3). Junior threw his milk at Mom. Junior screamed for more. (Notes on self-assertiveness Are found in chapter 4). Junior tossed his shoes & socks Out into the rain. (Negation, that is normal -- Disregard the strain.) Junior set Dad's shirt on fire, Whittled Grandpa's pine. (That's to gain attention, See page 89). Grandpa seized a slipper, and Yanked Junior `cross his knee. (He's read nothing but the Bible since 1893). -- title and author unknown ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________