First of all, I highly recommend buying the teaching on this!! Very affordable and FULL of wisdom, available here . You will not be disappointed! It is teaching by Steve and Teri Maxwell, whom I deeply respect!
Proverbs 22:6 says this, " Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." We've all read it before, but how seriously do we take it?? Do we train them up properly by being a good role model? Because ultimately, they do as we do, not as we say. Training is showing them the right way to live, not telling them. It's something I'm being really challenged in this year. If we want them to be responsible adults when they leave home, we need to show them what that looks like! And many of us are failing to train in this area, because we're too busy entertaining them.
Matthew 6:33 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
-Seek God! This is the best thing you can do for your children, boys AND girls! Show them how to seek Him in everything they do, this is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of wisdom!
-Work! Prepare sons early on to be providers. Instead of sending them out to play all the time, show them how to play productively! What can they build? What can they do for others? teaching them skills is SO important!
Typical wage amount variables:
-Income-Philippians 4:11-12 We need to be content in our hearts regardless of how much we make and live within our means!
These things are considered important
-Vocation (Proverbs 12:14)
-Education level
-Skill level in vocation (Proverbs 22:29)
-Demand for vocation
God's wage amount variables which truly affect one's income:
-View of work (Genesis 2:5, Ecclesiastes 3:22)
-Character (God's character)
-God's Blessings (Leviticus 26:3-5) roadblocks are removed when we follow his path
-God's discipline (Leviticus 26:14-20)
Family spending is affected by:
-needs (Matthew 6:30-33) this should NOT be a concern!
Truly affected by:
-character (Leviticus 19) keeping in mind that character itself should not be worshipped either!
-wants and appetites (Ecclesiastes 2:10)
-God's hand of discipline (Ecclesiastes 5:12)
-Spouse (Genesis 2:24)
Galatians 5:13 - Feed good appetites and starve bad ones before tehy become passions!!
Fun versus Joy!!
"If our fun comes from entertainment, our fun is dependent on our earning potential. However, train your son to receive his joy in serving, and you will have given him the opportunity for a lifetime of joy."
An interesting thought they put forth was this...fun is Satan's counterfeit for joy! Search your heart...could this be true?! Do "fun" activities you currently take part in give you a lasting feeling of joy? or is it simply temporary and mindless?
Serving and blessing someone and experienceing the joy that comes from that is far more 'fun' than many of the activities the world has to offer as 'fun'.
Cultivate godly appetites.
-desire to raise up godly seed (Matt. 2:15)
-desire to share Christ (2 Tim. 4:2)
-desire to serve (Titus 2:14)
-desire to give (2Cor. 9:7)
One thing I have noticed in my 6 yr old is that he naturally finds joy in serving! I learn much from him in this area and am learning how to develope this attitude into something big and wonderful!!
Our example as parents:
-Salvation (John 3:16)
-Personal quiet time with the Lord
-Memorization (so the Holy Spirit can bring those verses back to us at the right times!)
-Stewardship
-Desire to live pleasing lives to the Lord
I'm sure there are scripture verses to back up the above points..I just didn't get them jotted down! I may update that later!
What can we do with our children to teach them all this?! Especially our sons? How old can we start teaching them to be the sole provider of their future family?! Here are some age guidelines they offer to help with this!
Ages 3-6
-include them in everything that is not dangerous (this is directed at the dads here, they are so interested in all you do! Allow them to shadow you and help when they can!)
-simple chores that they can accomplish
-no tv (tv teaches that time is to be wasted!)
Ages 7-12
-spiritually, if you've been successful in eliminating negative influences in their lives, they WILL desire God!
-a vision, you need this so you don't compromise. share your family vision with your boys so they know what they are working towards and won't want to deviate from your teachings! And if we compromise in some way, we need to apologize to the kids and get back in line with the vision God's given us! I personally recommend getting your vision written on paper, so it's easier to refer to when tempted to compromise.
-more work, less play (Lamantations 3:27)
-more freedom in spending money
-real, but limited scope projects (by this time, if they have been allowed to follow dad around, they will have the skills to use a hammer, screwdriver etc. and can do productive projects with supervision)
-no tv, computer games, evil toys, negative appetites
-yes to computer projects, building projects
-focus on tools and not toys.
Sports are actually not recommended as it builds negative appetites! How often do you go to a kids sport game and see more negative than positive attitudes??!! It's really sad, but if we are truly wanting to eliminate negative influence, sports will have to go.
What's more important in the long run? Skills? or Fun? In the grand scheme of things, how does it affect us spiritually?
Ages 13-18
-their own business
-accounting
-customer service
Critically evaluate every training opportunity that takes your children out of the home!
Life is SO full of meaning when we serve others! These are just the condensed notes! You would so benefit from going to the Maxwells website and purchasing this book or audiobook. Like I said before, it's very affordable and WELL worth the $10!!!
But be warned, it will call you to a different level of raising your children! You will exit mainstream parenting and start testing everything you do with the Bible...but oh how glorifying to the Lord this way of living is!! We are just entering this lifestyle and it is SO awesome!
I hope these notes have encouraged and challenged you!
Be blessed as you find ways to serve our Lord in everyday life!!