" CHILDREN ARE A GIFT "

Are you thanking the Lord, I mean giving thanks to God for all that He has given you? I for one am trying not to take God for granted nor look past what He has blessed my wife and I with. I am a father of three and a grandfather of seven who is striving very hard to stay involved in all of their lives.

It's been hinted by some to often that children are seen as liabilities rather than assets. I for one become incensed when I hear dross such as this. My Bible calls children " a gift of the Lord ", a reward. Psalm 127:3 says "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." Children have been graciously given to us. It is very important to tell our children about God's work in our past and to help them see what He is doing right now. If you were to take a moment right now, can you recall what the turning points in your life were? When I think back, it's the times of God's intervention that met the most to me.

There is nothing like the Love of The Father. His agape love, which can be described as unconditional, sacrificial love which does what is in the best interest of another, without expecting anything in return.
God commanded us to teach our children: Exodus 34:7 " Who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

Please be extremely careful not to treat sin casually, but repent and turn from it. The sin may cause you little pain now, but it could sting in a most tender area of your life - your children and your grandchildren. Why would sins affect our children and our children's, children? This is no arbitrary punishment. Our offspring still suffer for the sins of the parents.

One of our greatest responsibilities as parents is to encourage our children to become wise. Wisdom can be passed down from parents to children, from generation to generation. Ultimately, of course all wisdom comes from God; parents can only urge their children to turn to him. If Mom and Dad never taught you in this way, God's Word can perform as a loving and compassionate Mother or Father to you. You can be taught many a lesson from scriptures and then create a legacy of wisdom as you teach your own children. It's alright for your children and your grandchildren to see you praying with your spouse. It's even better when they join in with you and Mom/Dad, likewise it's great for them to see you get excited about Church Attending, Small Groups, or Bible Study or even just prayer with others. Teach your children now as tomorrow may be to late. Our responsibility is to instruct them in Faith...

Until next time,

Jim