Whenever my wife and I take our 6 children shopping, it is a BIG event. We all pile into the mini van and off we go. It’s usually an all day affair. As we enter into the store, the “event” starts to unfold.
The looks, the horror, the fear, the shaking of heads. You name it, we have seen it and experienced it in one way or another. The reason for so many reactions is… the size of our family. People seem to have a hard time reconciling the times we live in with the amount of children we shepherd. I somewhat understand the looks, comments and opinions from unsaved people. But, when the attacks come from so-called christians, that stings a little more. Psalm 128 comes to my mind. It reads, “ Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways“. Verse 3 goes on to say, “ Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house, thy children like olive plants round about the table“.
What is the psalmist saying to us here? The family is ordained by God Himself, with the Dad taking the lead. The reason God established the family is to produce godly offspring. Children are a blessing from the Lord.
Today, as Doug Phillips says, we apply for a curse, DEBT, and REJECT the blessing, CHILDREN! I have seen it with my own eyes. What about unruly children you ask? They seem to be everywhere nowadays. The Bible says we are to train them up in the ways of the LORD. The lost don’t know this, but what about us? What about church leaders? Christian leaders with unruly children ought to step down and get their house in order before they reenter the ministry. But, Pride always seems to get in the way. Somehow we think that the children will come around if we get them into the sunday school programs and bring (or in some cases drag) them to church every time the doors are open. What a lie!!!
Children need the instruction of a father and mother in the home. Discipleship is the parents’ job. As the home goes, so goes the church! Men, we are married to our wives – not the church. I do pastor a church; however, the church is NOT my first priority. My family is!!! Psalm 127 says,” Except the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build it.” Christians have swallowed Satan’s lies regarding children and the family.
We need to REPENT of this terrible sin. Christian leaders, we should build up and edify families that are only trying to honour the Lord Jesus Christ by following His command of being fruitful and multiply. Children are a blessing, not a burden. Train up a child in the way he should go!!! The task is not easy. Training takes hard work!!! But, the rewards are eternal!!!
