Title: Nurture like this / Mark 10:13-16
Contents Raise them like this / Mark 10:13-16 Rev. Kiho Um
May is a fresher month than any other month. May, the season of growing greenery, is a season that makes us inflate with hopes and dreams and overflows with vitality. Opening the calendar for May, the month of the family, there are so many events. Children's Day is the first among them. The psalmist said, “Children are the inheritance of the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (127:3). Children, the greatest inheritance God has given, are precious beings with life more than material, power, or any other inheritance. Our parents should raise their children well in the Lord and lead a life that glorifies God.
According to a very interesting book, “Genius with IQ 100, IQ 150 Fool” written by former IS Ambassador to Korea Asher Naim, here, genius with IQ 100 teaches 'Jewish mother', and IQ 150 fool is 'Korea'. means 'the mother of In other words, Jewish children have a lower IQ than Korean children, but their mother's education makes them a genius. In addition, Asher Naim said, "The secret that Jews, who make up only 0.3% of the world's population, make up 30% of the Nobel Prize winners, is education.
What do Japanese parents tell their children the most? That's what it means to "don't cause trouble to others." That is why, if possible, they try not to be a nuisance to others. So what do American parents tell their children a lot? “Share it with others.” So, what kind of stories do you think Korean parents share with their children the most? That's "study." Thanks to this, it is said that the math skills of Korean students ranked second in the world. And yet, no one has ever won a Nobel Prize in science, mathematics, or intelligence.
Responsibility for educating children rests with the family rather than society, school, or church. No matter how many educational roles other educational institutions play outside the home, God has never established a living educational institution as important as the home. So how should we raise our children at home?
nurture in faith
Deuteronomy 6:7 says, “Teach your children diligently, and they will preach these words when you sit at home and on the road, and when you lie down and when you get up.” Proverbs 22:6 says, “The way Teach a child what to do, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” All parents in this world are entrusted with the responsibility of educating God's children on earth on behalf of God.
We must lead our children to the Lord. Verse 13 says, “People brought in little children, hoping that Jesus would touch him.” There is no legacy as great as the legacy of faith. Evil children cannot come from godly parents. In Korea, because of the big obstacle of college entrance exams, we have our children delay coming to God, and we wonder if it is okay to live a religious life after succeeding in the entrance exam. This attitude is a form of disobedience, disobeying what Jesus said to his disciples, “Let little children come to me, and do not forbid them” (verse 14).
The most important education in the family is to teach that fearing God is the highest wisdom above any wisdom in this world, and to help them to properly know God, the object of faith they serve. Above all else, the education of faith that comes from God should come first in the family. If you want your children to be used by God, and if you want God to work miracles through your children, first of all, I want you to thoroughly educate them to come out of God.
We must teach the Bible with the Word of God. The greatest enemy of faith is not believing and doubting. One of the most important responsibilities of parents to teach their children is to make them believe the Word of God or the principles of faith without questioning. In particular, the education of faith that properly believes and follows the Word of God from a young age is an important education that will make the child's life successful. As people get older, their own thoughts become stronger and they often ignore or refuse to understand the thoughts and opinions of others. However, we cannot forget the education of faith that we learned strongly as a child.
And more importantly, if you want your children to welcome and sheer to the Word of God, you don't end up with the teachings of your parents. First of all, as you said, you need to set an example for your children. There is a saying, “Children don't learn what their parents teach, they learn what their parents show.” When parents must first believe in God's Word, set the example of prayer, and practice worship in spirit and truth, children will truly believe in God's Word and will without any doubt. The faith of parents who believe and obey will be the best gift for success in their children's lives.
Above all, I hope you will have family worship. By having an encounter with God in family worship, the whole family can receive blessings and furthermore, they can educate their children about faith. Fearing God is the source of blessing. Let's make it a priority to come to church on Sunday. Let's rely on God's word.
Let's nurture through prayer
Hannah conceived a baby through prayer and gave birth to Samuel through prayer. As soon as Samuel was weaned, as promised to God, Hannah dedicated her life to God as a Nazarite and raised her in the temple. Hannah prayed for Samuel before she was born, she prayed after she was born, and she prayed after giving to God. So Samuel acted as a great spiritual leader, prophet, and priest in Israel.
We too should pray for our children. Do not despise children and respect their character. Even if we pray a lot for our children, if we ignore their personalities, they will not be able to grow into adults with uprightness, justice, and righteousness. Children also have many rights. Children have the right to learn. Children have the right to be nurtured. Children have the right to health protection. Children have the right to peace. Therefore, we must welcome children with the heart of receiving Jesus. All things that start with prayer and the education of children who teach prayer is the most important home education to raise children into good members of society.
One day, the famous American opera singer Hilding Halverton overheard a conversation between her son and a neighbor's child while they were playing. When the neighbor's child said, "My dad knows the boss well," Hallburton's son replied, "My dad knows God well." As soon as he heard those words, tears of gratitude began to flow from Halverton's eyes, and he went into his study and wept bitterly.
Let's nurture with love
We must first give hope to our children. We should not discourage our children, but instill a vision for the future, praise them, and instill beautiful and great dreams. The younger the planting time, the better. Giving young children dreams is wise and effective. A child's heart is like fertile soil, so whatever is planted can grow well. Children completely trust their parents.
You should also be a good friend to your child and spend time with them. When children learn to speak, they are curious and ask a lot of questions. Fear between parents and children creates a sense of withdrawal, and discord between parents and children is a factor in juvenile crimes.
And you should not spare praise and punishment for your children. When you do well, I hope you don't hesitate to praise me. On the other hand, when you do something wrong, don't hesitate to punish it. It is the duty and responsibility of parents to correct bad thoughts even by hitting them with a stick. Punishment should be given, but not anger or lash out in favor of parental feelings. However, looking at some of the incidents that have made headlines in the media these days, it is truly sad.
A woman named Lee (29), who lives in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, said that her husband's ex-wife's daughter (5) complained about rice and did not listen, put it in the washing machine and turned it with water for 30 seconds. He was arrested and charged with habitual assault, such as causing a stress disorder, and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison.
Another woman, Lee, who lives in Janggok-dong, Siheung-si, on May 31st last year, rubbed her chest and thighs with an iron for second-degree burns on the grounds that her husband's ex-wife's daughter (7) could not urinate. He was arrested and charged with abusing him, such as forcing his mouth to burn, and was sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial. The court said, “Considering the physical and psychological scars that will remain on the young victims for the rest of their lives, we have sentenced them to prison sentences in order to deal with child abuse decisively.
However, the parents all said that they did not listen to their children very well, so they used rods to correct their bad habits. But this is not love. Domestic violence is ruining children's lives, and it's the worst way to lead them down a path of derailment.
Dear saints,
Child farming is the most difficult farming in the world. If world farming fails, you can succeed again next time, but child farming cannot. Therefore, we must educate the children entrusted to us with God's word and faith, through prayer, with hope, and with love. A child who is well educated in faith is more wonderful than a child who is well fed, and to dress in faith than a child in good clothes is to wear the most beautiful clothes. We hope that you will glorify God by nurturing and educating our children as people of the kingdom of heaven.