Everything God made and gives is good. Read Genesis chapter one and you’ll discover that every creative word God spoke came instantly into being and was judged as good. James 1:17 tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (NKJ). So when I read Psalm 127:3 (NKJ) which says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward,” I knew I was reading about something good.
The word “heritage” means “an inherited heirloom.” Our children are to be viewed and understood as a precious, valuable inheritance given to us by God. The verse goes on to say they are a “reward.” Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word means “payment by contract.” In other words, we parents are under contract with God in the parenting of our children. God has entrusted these children to us and expects us to perform our job. Now no employment is easy all the time, and that is certainly true with this parenting job. But a loyal, conscientious employee doesn’t give up when the job gets hard, so neither can we give up when we don’t quite know what to do with our children. Just as God will not become our ex-Father, we cannot become an ex-father or ex-mother to our kids.
When we’re dealing with a son who has lost his way or a daughter who seems to be losing hers, it’s our job as parents to remember several truths:
- This child is a gift from God, a precious, priceless heirloom that has been placed in our care.
- This child is a reward and God expects me to fulfill my contract as his/her parent.
- Satan is zeroed in on stealing, killing, and destroying everything good God made and that includes my child.
- Just as there is no age limit on children honoring their parents, there is no age limit on parents providing parenting for their children.
It doesn’t matter whether we are birth, adoptive, step, or foster parents, children are gifts from God, Satan is out to steal them from us, and it’s our duty to fight for them. We’re not alone in our fight for our kids; God had trouble with all of His, yet He refused to give up on them. In fact, He gave us an example of how far we are to go in rescuing our children; He died to show His love for them – for us.
It may be that we’ll have to die to our old way of doing things in order to save one of our children. The death might consist of the temporary separation demanded by tough love, or the uncomfortable conversations initiated by confrontation. That’s the length to which love will go. What price is too high to pay for the salvation – spiritual, physical, or emotional – of such a precious gift as your child?
(Yes, the above photo is of my great children – Jerod, Lori, Mark, and Matthew!)
#HeartForTheWord
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©2015 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.
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