truth

Your Deposit

Paul said, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Tim. 1:12).

In the context Paul is urging Timothy not to be ashamed of the word of God nor its faithful defenders (2 Tim. 1:8-11). Paul’s lack of shame with regard to these things brought him a great deal of suffering and was leading to his death (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Still, he had confidence in God. It was He that Paul believed in and knew to be faithful.

Paul made a commitment. The original Greek word here is parathēkē and means “a deposit, a trust or thing consigned to one’s faithful keeping” (Thayer). Paul had committed his soul to God. In a sense he had deposited his soul with the Lord for safe keeping.

It used to be many people had “safe deposit boxes” at the bank (some still use them). Valuable papers, jewelry, and cash were often stored in them. The idea was that the bank is a secure location and the safe deposit box room was fortified against fire and other potential disasters. So it is with the soul’s safe keeping with God.

There is nothing more valuable than the soul. In fact, Jesus said that it would be a losing deal to trade your soul for the whole world (Mark 8:36). With such a high worth, what better place to “deposit” your soul for safe keeping than with the Almighty God? Paul was confident God could preserve it until the Judgment. We need that confidence too.

Jesus made a similar argument in John 10:27-29. When a man or woman places their soul into the keeping of the Lord, no one is able to steal them away. Can a person leave the Lord’s safe keeping? Yes. However, as long as a man stays committed to God, as Paul did, his soul is secure.

Insecurity of the soul comes when we do not have it safely deposited with the Lord. Many are not truly committed to Him. It is like the man who believes his money is secure on the blackjack table. He is convinced his money will return to him…usually in abundance. He does not see the inherent risk and ultimate loss. Still, he confidently places his bet.

Many gamble with their soul. Some deposit it with themselves by following their own dictates, which only leads to destruction (Prov. 14:12). Others put their treasure into the safe keeping of the doctrines and traditions of man, which will be uprooted in the last great day (Matt. 15:7-14). The security they suppose they have is just an illusion—just like the chips on the blackjack table.

When your soul is on deposit with God, you will be able to endure tremendous trials and suffering. Paul was able “to suffer these things” because he entrusted his soul to the Lord. A committed Christian can be ridiculed, mocked, scorned, cursed, beaten, threatened with death, and even endure it, without reservation (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7-18; 11:23-33). There is nothing to intimidate a child of God because he knows Who is on his side. “Do what you will, I know the Lord will be with me,” is his declaration.

Where is your soul deposited? Have you entrusted it to the fleeting things of this world? Have you in your finite wisdom decided to guard it yourself? Or, is it in the protection of the Creator? One is secure, the other inherently insecure.

Confession Is Required

Depending on who you talk to in the religious world, you will receive different answers on what is required to have eternal life—even if we only consider those who believe in Jesus. Some will say nothing at all is required; others that faith alone is sufficient. Of the latter group, there are those who say that must confess Jesus is the Christ, but when pressed on the matter, would not say it is essential to salvation. Faith alone will do, so they claim. Faith is necessary (Jn. 8:24; 3:16). However, faith alone is not enough.

Paul wrote, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9, 10). This confession is made with the mouth. It is not merely a way of living as some want to make it. We do “confess” our belief in God by the way we live, but we must also verbally assent to the Lordship of Jesus.

An example of confession leading to salvation is found in Acts 8. The Ethiopian eunuch was taught the gospel (Acts 8:35). When he and Philip came to water, he asked, “What hinders me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36). Philip told him he must believe, at which point the Ethiopian confessed his belief—“I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37).

The confession of Jesus Christ is not some type of word magic. The seven sons of Sceva thought there was something special in saying the name “Jesus,” but found out differently (Acts 19:13-16). Saying Jesus is the Christ must come from the heart, a deep, genuine conviction that He is the one and only Savior. Without this confession, you cannot be saved.

Romans 10:9, 10, is not the “sinner’s prayer.” Confession with the mouth is not merely in a prayer uttered to God. Yes, we may express to God that we believe in His Son. However, the confession leading to salvation is not a statement made in prayer. If it was, Saul of Tarsus would have been saved before Ananias came to him—but he was not. There is no doubt that Saul believed in Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-6). It is an indisputable fact that he was praying for three days (Acts 9:11). Yet, when Ananias came to him, he still had sins that needed to be washed away (Acts 22:12-16). Do you think Saul acknowledge Jesus as the Savior in any of his prayers over a three day period? Likewise, do you think he told others—his traveling companions—that he believed in Jesus?

Sometimes people wonder about confessing sins before being baptized. We know Christians are to confess their sins (Jas. 5:16; 1 Jn. 1:7-10). However, alien sinners are not required to tell of their sins. Why? First, everyone already knows they are sinners; and that is the reason they are being baptized. Second, if a man obeys the gospel when he is 50 years old, could he remember all of the sins he committed?

Confession of Jesus as the Christ is required of all who want to become Christians. For those who truly believe in Jesus, this is not a problem. Too, their conviction will lead them on to obey the commands of the One whom they confessed, namely to repent and be baptized (Lk. 24:47; Mk. 16:16).

Jeroboam’s Failure

Jeroboam completely squandered the opportunity given to him by God. The prophet Ahijah told him God would give him ten tribes (1 Kgs. 11:26-40). We know this came about when Rehoboam refused to lighten the load on the people (1 Kgs. 12:1-24). The northern kingdom was his to rule over, but he blew it.

After becoming king, Jeroboam feared the people would turn back to the house of David (1 Kgs. 12:25-33). He thought the people would go to Jerusalem to worship and rekindle their affection and national pride for Judah and kill him. Therefore, he set up a false religion. God’s response was swift and definite (1 Kgs. 13:1-10). Jeroboam was known forever as the one who introduced false religion into Israel (1 Kgs. 16:19, 26; 22:52).

Jeroboam’s sin sprung from fear of losing the support of the people. He wanted to maintain his power and prestige. He even feared his life would be taken. If Jeroboam had had faith in God, he would have realized the northern kingdom was securely his. God gave it to him. Abraham also lacked faith twice, being in fear that men would kill him to take his wife. He should have trusted God and believed His word.

The point we need to get is the fear of losing support or good will of others is dangerous. The drive for acceptance by others, either peers, those under us (boss-employee relationship, parent-child relationship, etc.), or those over us (vice-versa) can lead us to compromise the faith. The One and only one we need to please is God. As Paul said, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10).

There are parents who fear “driving” their children away by being too strict. Christian parents have compromised on television, movies, dancing, cheerleading, sports, and much more in an effort to keep the “affection” of a child. They do not want their child to be isolated from others or get angry about not being part of the in-crowd. Children might want to skip services for the playoff game. When a parent fears offending a child and compromises on the morals and principles of the Bible, it is sin.

Men and women sometimes fear losing their job. The boss may want to hide money from the government or lie to the customer. When the fear of unemployment outweighs the fear of God, a Christian will sin. Jesus warned against putting the things of this world above heavenly things (Matt. 6:19-21). We will either serve God or man (Matt. 6:24).

Many preachers have compromised the faith due to fear of losing the support of a congregation or eldership. Some dare not preach plainly about modesty. Others will not mention social drinking from the pulpit. Why? They do not want to move, do not want to lose their income, or do not want to be separated from the people of the congregation. Such a man is in sin. Paul told Timothy to “preach the word” in season and out of season (2 Tim. 4:2). A preacher’s first loyalty is to God. When this is suppress out of fear of men, not only is the preacher headed to hell, but he is leading others down that path, and stirring up the wrath of God.

We should learn a lesson from Jeroboam: do not compromise the faith for fear of men. Fear God and keep His commandments; this is your all (Ecc. 12:13, 14).

Revelation 17

Revelation 17 introduces us to the great harlot. She stands in contrast to the woman of the wilderness from Revelation 12. Her dominion is on the many waters; she rules over “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues” (Rev. 17:1, 15). These men are intoxicated with her and all she has to offer.

She sits on the beast (Rev. 13:1). There is great luxury and opulence with her (gold, precious stones, etc.), but she is desolate (wilderness). The cup in her hand is gold, very appealing, but full of abominations (toxic). This is a perfect description of Rome. Its material wealth and world domination intoxicated men, but her moral and spiritual bankruptcy proved her ultimately harmful.

This woman on the beast appears very appealing, but is revealed to be a harlot (Rev. 17:5); and is drunk with the blood of the saints. Rome was involved in the ruthless persecution of Christians.

This harlot (Rome) has characteristics of many ancient harlots. She was a harlot of conquest and destruction like Nineveh (Nah. 3:1, 4). She was similar to Tyre, the harlot of commerce (Isa. 23:15-17). Pleasure was a top pursuit, just like Babylon (Isa. 47:8, 9). She was also analogous to the great spiritual harlot, Israel (Isa. 1:21). All of these abhorrent features were found in first-century Rome. Therefore, she is condemned by God.

In Revelation 17:7-18, the angel explains the vision.

Lust controls the beast and the beast upholds the lust (Rev. 17:7, 9).

The seven heads, mountains, and kings are the power aligned against Christ (Rev. 17:9-11).

The ten kings are lesser kings who compromise with the beast (Rev. 17:12, 13).

The Lamb will win (Rev. 17:14).

The waters are people of the earth (Rev. 17:15-17; cf. Dan. 2:40-43).

The woman is specifically identified as “that great city;” lust, seduction, allurements of the flesh (Rev. 17:18).

Looking back it is easy to see how all of this fits Rome. Remember, the letter of Revelation was written to Christians in the first century. Its primary application was to them, not us. Just like 1 Corinthians was written to the church at Corinth and was first pertinent to them. We can learn from these letters, but let us be careful with Revelation in trying to make it primarily applicable to present-day events.

Back to the point: Kings of the earth compromised many things to curry the favor of the Roman Empire. These forces, driven by their worldly lusts, stood opposed to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Hence, there was a great battle taking place. It appeared that they were winning. Christians (those of the seven churches and others) were concerned that their cause would fail. This letter was written to let them know the Lamb, Jesus, would be victorious over this satanic power. All who were with Him would gain the victory too—they just had to remain faithful.

It Takes A Study?

It is stunning how men waste time and money to find answers when God has already given them to us. Perhaps the biggest waste of all is the US space program. It is devoted to finding out the mysteries of the universe, chiefly the origin of it. If they would just open their hearts and a Bible, they would see the answer. This same scenario is true with other issues.

Recently, while going through the web site www.familyfacts.org I ran across the following findings; things that the Bible has taught for thousands of years, but men felt compelled to verify with studies. Don’t get me wrong about this, I understand the need to defend what is right using God’s word and at times it helps to pull in other evidence. The point is, so many of our problems and questions could be resolved and answered if we just open the Bible and read.

Finding: “Compared with peers who had lower levels of religiosity as pre-teens (measured by participation in religious activities, studies, services, and importance ascribed to religion), those with higher levels of pre-teen religiosity tended to exhibit higher levels of religiosity as adolescents and young adults and a lower likelihood of engaging in substance abuse.”

This finding basically says that children brought up to practice religion are affected by it in later years. It helps shape their behavior, continuing to practice religion and refraining from harmful activities. The Bible put it this way, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6).

Finding: “This finding looks at the relationship between youths’ religiosity and alcohol use.
Compared with peers with lower levels of religiosity (in terms of church attendance, importance assigned to religion and frequency of prayer), adolescents who were more religious exhibited higher levels of self control and were less likely to use alcohol. (The effect of religiosity on substance use was mediated somewhat by levels of self control.)”

Children who are raised with religion in the home behave better. The religious principles instilled in them while they are young give them more self discipline and keep them away from destructive behaviors. Self-control is one of the fundamental pillars in the life of a Christian. “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control…” (2 Pet. 1:5, 6). The study finding shows what the Bible has taught all along, religion benefits a person’s life.

Finding: “This study examined the link between the amount of sex viewed on television and teen pregnancy outcomes. Teens who were exposed to high levels of sexual content on television were twice as likely to become pregnant during a three-year period than peers who had lower levels of exposure to sexual content.”

Duh! It takes a study to see that? I do not doubt FamilyFact.org knew this to begin with. It is a secular organization and feels compelled to do academic studies to bolster their position. Again, I have no problem with that. Society, however, seems to lack common sense. The Bible does not. It is an imminently practical and logical book. Long ago it said, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (1 Cor. 15:33). Filth in, filth out. Simple enough.

Finding: The Bible contains all that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). It is the Book of books; the sole source of spiritual enlightenment. It is the word of life. The ills and ails of society can be corrected if all people would submit to the word. Let us not be guilty of failing in this, but live by the truth, raise our children in the truth, and therefore be a blessing to one and all.

For more information go to http://www.familyfacts.org.

Family Study: Joseph 2

Genesis 40

After Joseph was wrongly thrown in prison, he continued to do the best he could. One day while he was working, he saw two of the king’s servants—men who were in prison for suspicion of acting against the king. These servants were distraught because they each had a dream the night before but did not know the meanings.

Joseph was concerned about them, not just himself, and asked them what the trouble was. They explained their dreams to him. The butler, or cupbearer, of the king told his dream and Joseph said it meant he would be restored to his old job. The baker, thinking he may receive a favorable interpretation of his dream, explained his to Joseph. This time, however, the news was not good. The king would kill the baker in three days.

Joseph asked the butler to remember him. He wanted out of prison. Sadly, the butler forgot him.

Genesis 41

The king of Egypt, Pharaoh, had two dreams in one night that scared him. He asked all his advisers what they meant, but none of them could tell him. Finally, after two years of forgetting about Joseph, the butler remembered him. He told the king Joseph could interpret his dreams.

After cleaning up to stand before the king, Joseph told him God is the one who interprets dreams.

Pharaoh told his dreams to Joseph who proceeded to interpret them with God’s help. He told the king seven years of good crops were coming followed by seven terrible years. He advised the king to store up grain in the good years so they could get through the bad ones. This impressed Pharaoh so much he elevated Joseph to second in the kingdom. Only Pharaoh was higher and had more authority than Joseph.

During the years of plenty, Joseph stopped counting the grain because it was so much. As prophesied, this lasted seven years and came to an abrupt halt. The famine set in and devastated the entire region.

Genesis 42-45

The famine affected Canaan, where Joseph’s family lived. His father sent Joseph’s older brothers to Egypt to buy grain. When they appeared before Joseph they did not recognize them, but he recognized them. He spoke to them in Egyptian and used an interpreter, though he could still understand his brothers.

Joseph wanted to test their sincerity and see if they were still the same evil, selfish men he knew years ago. So, Joseph kept one brother, Simeon, in Egypt and told the rest to go back and return only if they brought Benjamin, Joseph’s younger and favorite brother.

The brothers later discovered that all the money they took to buy grain was in their grain sacks. This scared them because they thought the Egyptians looked at them as thieves, but it was Joseph who ordered this to be done.

Jacob resisted the brothers taking Benjamin to Egypt for fear that he would not return. The famine grew worse and the brothers refused to go get more grain without Benjamin. Jacob gave in and let his youngest son go.

When they returned to Egypt, Joseph continued to test their attitudes. He gave Benjamin more than the others at dinner. He also put Pharaoh’s cup in Benjamin’s grain sack without telling them. On their way home, Joseph’s servant overtook them and found the cup in Benjamin’s sack. The penalty was slavery.

The brothers were very upset and returned to plead for Benjamin. Judah offered himself in exchange for Benjamin. When Joseph heard this he could not contain his emotions any longer. He sent out all the Egyptians and revealed himself to his brothers. They were stunned and fearful. Joseph told them they had nothing to fear and understood that everything that had happened was at the hand of God. By Joseph being in his position, he was able to preserve the children of Israel during the famine.

Joseph did not take vengeance on his brothers or anyone else. With Pharaoh’s blessing and encouragement Joseph invited all of his family to move to Egypt. They were given the best of the land and settled there for about 400 years.

Lessons To Consider

1. They guilt of how Joseph’s brother treated him troubled them for many years (Gen. 42:21, 22). Do you think when we commit sin and do not correct it, it will bother us? Should it?
2. When Joseph was testing his brothers, was he being mean or trying to find out about their character? Why do you think he did this?
3. The real lesson of Joseph’s life is how God works things out. Did Joseph see this at the beginning?
4. Can we learn a lesson about God working with us? Could the difficult things we face be the way to grow and be useful to God and His people later? Should we grow bitter and quit?

Love & Commandments

Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15). Love of the Lord is not just a feeling or emotion, it includes action. It is not enough to only acknowledge Him as the Messiah; we must also serve Him as our Master.

Some people want to separate love for God from the commandments of God. Their point of view is that the emotion of love is all you need and the insistence on keeping commandments is too “strict” and “legalistic.” However, the Bible declares over and over that love and commandments go together.

When the Israelites were first brought out of Egypt God told them to love Him and keep His commandments. He said, “showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Ex. 20:6). Before they entered Canaan, Moses admonished them to “…shall love the LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always” (Deut. 11:1). After they conquered the land, as the two and a half tribes were returning home, Joshua said, “But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Joshua 22:5).

Hundreds of years later, when the Jews were in captivity, Daniel noted, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments” (Dan. 9:4). When they returned from captivity, Nehemiah said, “I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments” (Neh. 1:5).

Thus, we understand that throughout Old Testament history, love of God and keeping His commandments went together. In fact, they were inseparable. With love of God and obedience to His commands came God’s mercy. The same is true today.

As noted above, Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15). When discussing the “first commandment,” He said, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” (Mk. 12:29, 30). It is interesting to note that love of God is a commandment. Those who rebel against “commandments” as “legalistic” cannot love God, because it is a commandment. If they reject “dos” and “don’ts,” “strict” commands, then they necessarily reject the command to love God.

John summed it up for us. He said, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 Jn. 5:3). We not only love God by keeping His commandments, but also the children of God. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments” (1 Jn. 5:2). Without commandments, and keeping them, there is no love of God or the children of God.

Feelings or Faith?

Over the past week and a half I have gone through quite an ordeal. I realize others have problems that far outweigh mine, but it was stressful to me nonetheless.

My word processor program had a bug in it. After trying to fix it myself for a few days, I called my computer support company. They eventually had me restore my computer to factory settings. This meant all my files and programs were erased. I did not think this to be a problem because I used an online backup service.

I rebooted my computer and restored all my files, so I thought. When I went to edit some video I shot on a recent trip to Egypt and Israel, I could not find any. It was all gone (I had to specifically mark the video files for back up). My heart sank. I look on memory sticks and my laptop to see if I had copies; there were none…so I thought.

A few days later I was transferring some files from my desktop to laptop. I opened a folder I normally do not look it or use. In that folder were all my videos. What a feeling of relief.

Here’s the point: For a few days I knew my videos were gone for good. The truth was they were there all along. This was a personal lesson on the fact that we cannot use our feelings to determine the truth.

Our feelings sometimes align with truth. This is no problem. As this touches many areas of life, it really has little or no consequence. If my videos were gone forever, I would have lived. If I had never found them, I would have gone on with life. However, when it comes to our soul’s salvation, this really matters.

Some people want to live by their feelings in spiritual matters. They allow their feelings to guide them. This is extremely dangerous, besides being unnecessary.

God has not left it up to us guessing at what He wants or whether or not we are saved. His Word was given to supply us with an objective standard; there is one faith (Eph. 4:15). It is the truth (Jn. 17:17). When we read it, we can understand it (Eph. 3:3, 4). There are some things hard to understand, but not impossible (2 Pet. 3:16).

Those who go by their feelings are doing what pagans do. They allow their feelings to give rise to knowledge, instead of knowledge to feelings. The prophets of Baal felt like Baal was real; so much so they cut themselves (1 Kgs. 18:25-29). King Saul “felt compelled” and offered a burnt offering, a sinful act for which he was condemned (1 Sam. 13:12). King Jeroboam set up a false religion in the Northern Kingdom as he devised it in his own heart (1 Kgs. 12:25-33).

Many today have feelings that lead them to conclusions or to “know” something. We see the disastrous results this had on the prophets of Baal, King Saul, and Jeroboam. Feelings are not proof of any truth regarding the gospel and salvation. Rather, truth is determined by what is written.

In the New Testament, there is a great example of one whose feelings were derived from his knowledge. The Ethiopian eunuch was taught by Philip (Acts 8:35). Through gaining knowledge of what God wanted from him, he acted (Acts 8:36-38). It was after he knew what God taught and wanted, and doing it, that he rejoiced (Acts 8:39). Thus, the order was knowledge, then feelings. The knowledge came from the Word of God; an absolutely accurate source of knowledge.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Those who go by the written Word are walking by faith; those who go by the feelings are walking by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

Are you walking by feelings or faith?

Faith Is Essential

Faith in Christ is essential to salvation. Some in our society do not believe this, even many who claim to believe in Jesus. The fact is, our nation is religiously pluralistic and has drifted from its founding principals. Freedom of religion has developed from freedom to serve Christ according to conscience, to freedom to any religious belief and practice with immunity from condemnation (unless you actually believe the Bible). Still, the Bible teaches faith in the Lord is necessary.

Jesus said, “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24). Jesus is the I AM (Jn. 8:58). He is the one and only Savior (Acts 4:12). He was God in the flesh and gave His life that we might be set free from sin (Matt. 1:23; Jn. 1:1, 14, 29). He now sits at the right hand of God and will return to judge mankind (Heb. 1:1-3; Acts 17:30, 31). Any and all who deny this will lose their souls.

Sincerity in religion is simply not enough. The Muslim, Jew, Hindu, or Buddhist who is devoted to his religious practices will still go to hell. Why? Because he refuses to believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Without this faith, he cannot have his sins forgiven and go to heaven.

If you believe the New Testament, that it is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, then you must agree with this. If you do not believe faith in Christ is essential to salvation, that sincere Jews, Muslims, etc. will be saved, then you simply do not believe the Word of God. That means, you do not have faith and will lose your soul too. How can a man say he believes God’s Word but deny what it teaches—either in part or in whole? He cannot.

Faith is essential. Faith in Christ that results in obedience to His will (Heb. 5:9). Do you have it?

7 Tips To Raising Good Children

1. Love them with all your heart (Titus 2:4).

The love you have for your child will make an incalculable impact on his or her life. It will help your child develop the proper sense of self worth. They will carry it with them even when you make a mistake or they do. Without true love for your child, he or she will be handicap in life. It will be harder for them to love others; to have a proper relationship with others. It will also give them a distorted view of God since our love is based on His.

2. Teach them God’s Word (Deut. 6:6-9).

The surest way to raise a good child is to teach them the Good Book. Even from the womb babies ought to be taught the Bible; it is a habit to form early on. As they grow the lessons and material can be adjusted to suit their needs. If parents wait until their children are 10, 12, 0r 14, it is way too late. In fact, from my observations and what others tell me, if you wait much beyond the first year or two a great deal is lost that may never be recovered.

3. Discipline them properly (Prov. 13:24).

No one likes a brat, unless it is their own. And, even it is their own, there is much grief. The Bible teaches parents to discipline their children. This would include “positive” discipline that does teaching and gives rewards for good behavior. Most parents do not have a problem with this. Where the difficulty comes is giving “negative” discipline. This may be taking away privileges or spanking (not beating). A father that loves his child will chasten him to develop him into a good person (Heb. 12:5-11).

4. Take them to church (Psa. 122:1).

Going to church consistently teaches the children it is a priority in life. It exposes them to the best people in the world, Christians. They can see that others are striving to live for God; others who have troubles but press on; others who are not all that different from them. Bible classes and worship assemblies gives opportunities for them to learn more about God’s Word. Some parents start out doing this, but when the children resist stop saying to force them to go to church will only make it that much worse. Is that how they treat giving them or making them take a bath?

5. Regulate their friends (Prov. 13:20).

The companions our children spend time with will have a great impact on their life. Their attitude, outlook, personality, language, dress, hopes, dreams, and more can all be affected by their friends. It is a God-given duty for parents to keep a close eye on such things. Children may see it as intrusive, especially in the teenage years, but it is necessary. Secretly, some will be thankful, while others may look back years later and see the value of such oversight.

6. Dress them appropriately (Prov. 7:10).

Like it or not, clothing sends a message. Our appearance can say put-together, clean-cut, business-like, laid-back, smooth-talker, self-centered, and many other things. Parents who love their children want the clothing they wear to send the right message to their peers and adults. No mother or father should dress their daughter like a prostitute (again, Prov. 7:10). They should not allow their son to walk around looking like a hip-hop “artist” who cannot keep his pants up without holding them (you know what I mean). Rather, we ought to dress our children to send the message of self-respect, decent, and modest. This will help establish a mindset and, hopefully, a life-long habit.

7. Get them involved in good works (Titus 2:14).

Children need to see the importance of doing good. They will learn to appreciate what they have as you help the less fortunate. They will see you fulfilling God’s command to love your neighbor (Lk. 10:25-37). It will develop a heart of compassion and help them understand God’s care for us. This should also include kindness toward your parents. As you children grow and see this being done, it will stick with them when they are older…and you are too. In other words, in later years you can reap the benefits of raising good children.