INTRODUCTION
A. Being a parent is one of the most important jobs in
the world. It is a job for which few persons are really prepared.
1. "Being a parent is a job we start with no experience and
once we get the experience, we are out of a job."
a.It takes "know how" to be a good parent (I Tim.3:5)
It's a serious job because our own souls and the souls of our
children are a stake.
(1) With such tremendous responsibilities, does the job of being
a parent offer any rewards? Yes, if obedient & trustworthy,
child pays his own way.
b. Pleasant thoughts but also sad thoughts as we think of death
(Heb.9:27) Most of us will precede our children in death.
(1) We think about wills and what we will leave them. And will
they be faithful to God or rebel against Him? That depends on
the training them have received at home in the early years.
a. That being true, what will you leave your children?
I. PROFOUND LEGACY
A. GOOD REPUTATION
1. A good name springs from a sound character (Prov.22:l; Eccl.7:l;
Micah 7:6)
B. GOOD RECOLLECTION
1. The only thing the prodigal son had left was a memory of a
good home (Lk. 15:17). "Where we love is home. Home, where
our feet may leave, but not our hearts" (Oliver Wendell Holmes)
a. Need to take time today to have Bible reading & prayer
(Deut.6:6-7) What memory will our children have of the homes in
which they now live?
C. GOOD RELATIONSHIP
1. A memory of time spent together (Eph.6:4). Too many young people
are neglected by their parents because of work, etc.
a. One man said, "I don't know anyone who wished on his deathbed
that he had spent more lime at the office."
(1) Children need our time. If parents & children are together
often & share the same pleasures & hardships, they are
a great blessing to each other.
II. PIOUS LEADERSHIP
A. DEVOUT
1. Not only instruct our children but set a proper example before
children (Ac. 10:38) When they see a difference between practice
& profession, they soon lose respect for parents & the
Christianity they profess.
B. DISCIPLINE
1. Training by word & backing that verbal instruction by corrective
discipline. A lack of love leads to a lack of discipline which
leads to an insecure & unhappy child. The child's entire character
lies in the parents hands.
C. DECISIONS
1.When a child reaches the age of accountability, they know what
their parents would say in almost every situation whether the
parent is present or not.
III. PRINCIPLES FOR LIFE
A. RESPONSIBILITY OF WORK
1. Children must be taught to work & taught the dignity of
work. He learns nothing of value comes without effort (2 Thess.3:10)
B. REFLECT ON THE BEAUTIFUL
1. Ps.8 - God has surrounded us with the good & beautiful
in nature. From an appreciation of such beauty, we come to see
the beauty of a holy, righteous life.
C. RELEASING THE REINS
1. Gen.2:24 - perhaps the best wedding gift parents can give to
their children when they get married is to release them.
a. "Leaving father & mother" means to break the
parent-child bond, to sever the tight, emotionally dependent strings
that once provided security, protection, financial assistance
& physical needs.
(1) It's a difficult time for children & parents but both
soon adjust & discover fulfillment in this new phase of life.
b. When our babies take their wings to fly on their own, we worry,
"Have we prepared them sufficiently? Are they strong enough
to fly on their own?"
(1) If they are Christians, they are safe in another nest: Dt.32:9,
11.
2. Parents, there's going to come a time when we die. What will
we leave our children? An example they can follow so they can
go to heaven or only money? Is our will in order?