discipled living

The Second of three Keys to building healthy successful lives for our children.

Association wields a power that is indisputable. The scripture tells us this in Psalms 1:1; Proverbs 13:20; I Corinthians 15:33 and Proverbs 23:17-21 that there are traps that are set for us by our association with wicked or foolish people. We must take care not to fall into the trap for foolishness.

Association occurs in may ways, it has been said, “I will become over the next two (2) years like the books I read and the people with whom I associate. We assume and take on the character and values of the people and media around us because it not only tells us what to think about, it also tells us what to think.

Discover the Power of Association:

1. The artwork and symbols in our homes and environment influence out values and character.
2. The television is a power communicator of contemporary values that may not be in line with our faith bases values.
3. Self-Talk is born out the fountain within each of us and shapes our lives in incredible ways.

Ephesians 6:1-4 offer extends wisdom to the parents as it instructs us in the following ways:.” This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, you will live a long life, full of blessing.” And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.

The scripture is clear to both the child and the parent that there are requirements for each of us. We must both recognize the demands that the Bible places upon our children and us as parents. The Commandment offers us a path to follow once we understand the word honor. The word “honor” indicates the presence of a commitment that we are being called upon to fulfill. What the scripture is calling the children to do is to remain faithful to the commitment to care for your parents as they age and need your assistance, and by so doing that your children will witness you acts and learn from your example. Then when they are old they will not depart from what you have shown them and they will honor you by caring for you.

The scripture continues in Ephesians to instruct us as parents, that we ought not provoke our children to anger just because we have power over them. We must remember that they will become adults and may have the authority and responsibility of caring for us as we age. They will likely honor us in the same way that we reared them.