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Nurturing Of Children - Bible Witness

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<strong>Nurturing</strong> of <strong>Children</strong> <strong>Bible</strong> <strong>Witness</strong><br />

Teaching Your <strong>Children</strong><br />

Spiritual Truths<br />

“And these words, which<br />

I command thee this day,<br />

shall be in thine heart:<br />

and thou shalt teach<br />

them diligently unto thy<br />

children, and shalt talk<br />

of them when thou siest<br />

in thine house, and when<br />

thou walkest by the way,<br />

and when thou liest down,<br />

and when thou risest up”<br />

(Deuteronomy 6:6-7).<br />

Most Christian parents<br />

will admit to being<br />

somewhat intimidated by<br />

the weighty responsibility<br />

Scripture places on them.<br />

Our task is outlined in<br />

simple terms by verses<br />

like Proverbs 22:6 – “Train<br />

up a child in the way he<br />

should go: and when he<br />

is old, he will not depart<br />

from it” and Ephesians<br />

6:4 – “. . . bring them<br />

up in the nurture and<br />

admonition of the Lord.”<br />

Understanding our<br />

solemn duty as parents<br />

ought to provoke a certain<br />

amount of fear and<br />

trembling. But,<br />

it need not paralyse us.<br />

Teaching spiritual truths<br />

to children is a joy. No<br />

one is more receptive,<br />

more hungry to learn,<br />

or more trusting than a<br />

child. Chances are, you’ll<br />

never find more eager<br />

disciples than your own<br />

children. Don’t squander<br />

the opportunity.<br />

Let me suggest some<br />

practical principles to<br />

remember as you labour<br />

to communicate spiritual<br />

truths to your children.<br />

1. Understand that<br />

children can grasp<br />

the essence of<br />

almost any truth<br />

Is theology for the child<br />

or for the theologian<br />

“Theology” and “child”<br />

are incompatible in the<br />

minds of many Christians.<br />

In truth, we can teach<br />

theology to children,<br />

but it must be taught<br />

simply and clearly with<br />

the “milk” of the Word.<br />

<strong>Children</strong> who are in<br />

kindergarten and primary<br />

level can grasp the essence<br />

of biblical doctrines. We<br />

should not hold back<br />

teaching them the biblical<br />

doctrines because we<br />

think they aren’t ready.<br />

Though children may<br />

not fully understand<br />

some of the difficult<br />

spiritual concepts, they<br />

can grasp the essence<br />

of almost every truth.<br />

In fact, children are<br />

equipped to assimilate<br />

spiritual truths. That’s<br />

why Jesus called the adults<br />

to exercise childlike faith:<br />

“Whosoever shall not<br />

receive the kingdom of<br />

God as a lile child, he<br />

shall not enter therein”<br />

(Mark 10:15). What<br />

makes a child’s faith<br />

more outstanding than<br />

an adult’s It is simply<br />

that children refuse to<br />

be troubled by what they<br />

cannot understand.<br />

How many of us<br />

understand the concepts<br />

of infinity, eternity,<br />

or omnipotence any<br />

beer than we did as<br />

children We may speak<br />

of those ideas with more<br />

sophisticated terminology<br />

now, but our finite minds<br />

still cannot grasp the<br />

complete reality. Don’t<br />

be afraid to admit that<br />

to your children. Even<br />

David wrote about God’s<br />

eternal aributes that<br />

“such knowledge is too<br />

wonderful for me; it<br />

is high, I cannot aain<br />

unto it” (Psalm 139:6).<br />

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