双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：3月22日 教养儿童

3月22日

教养儿童

“教养孩童，使他走当行的道，就是到老他也不偏离。”

箴言22:6

每一个孩子的道德品行都是可以自由形成的。但是我们可以教导他们一些真理，给他们树立一些榜样，使他们在长大懂事时更有可能作出决定接受耶稣基督为救主。对于一些远离神的、叛逆的孩子，尽早进行必要的管教、按照圣经警戒他们，神也会及时把误入歧途的孩子带回正轨。

重要的是，我们要记住神的命令，“你们作父亲的，不要惹儿女的气，只要照着主的教训和警戒养育他们。”（以弗所书6:4）父母不要给出不合理的、重复的命令，也不要给出并不指望他们真正去执行的命令。

孩子们希望父母是真正关心他们，从而严格要求他们。圣经中不乏对孩子严格管教的教训。“不忍用杖打儿子的，是恨恶他；疼爱儿子的，随时管教。”（箴言13:24）我们要学会“命上加命，令上加令，律上加律，例上加例，这里一点，那里一点。”（以赛亚书28:10）换言之，我们不能等孩子到十二岁，突然说，要对他进行宗教教育了。我们必须从他开始有理解力的时候就开始教导。“律上加律，例上加例，这里一点，那里一点。”

大多数孩子都继承了父母的特征和习惯。他们从我们身上学到了什么呢？

今日祷告：

天父啊，我们的年轻一代离祢越来越远了。求祢帮助我们培养训练我们的孩子、教会里的孩子和世界上的孩子转向您，得到新生命；奉耶稣的名，阿门。

March 22

TRAINING CHILDREN

Train up a child in the way he should go:and when he is old,he will not depart from it.Proverbs 22:6

Every child is a free moral agent.But there are certain truths we can teach and certain examples we can set that will make it much more likely a child will accept Jesus Christ as Savior when he is old enough to make such a decision.And for the rebellious child who wanders away from God,working in biblical principles at an early age can greatly enhance the possibility that God will be able to use these truths to bring an errant child back to the fold.

It is important that we follow the commandment,“Do not provoke your children to anger,but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”(Ephesians 6:4 RSV).Parents should never give unreasonable and repetitious commands.Nor should they ever give a command that they do not mean to be carried out.

Children want their parents to care enough about them to be strict.The Bible teaches us to discipline our children.“He that spareth his rod hateth his son:but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes”(Proverbs 13:24).We are to train our children“precept upon precept,line upon line;here a little,and there a little”(Isaiah 28:10).In other words,when a boy has reached the age of twelve,we cannot suddenly say,“It’s very late,but I’m going to try to cram religion into him now.”It must start the very moment he has any understanding at all.Precept upon precept,line upon line,it has to be a little here and a little there.

The majority of children acquire the characteristics and habits of their parents.What are they learning from us?

Pray for the Day:

Father,our young generation is slipping further and further away from You.We pray that You will help us to train our children and our churches’children and the children of the world to turn to You and find life;in Jesus’Name,Amen.