Responsibilities of a Christian Parent 身为基督徒父母的责任
Author : Brother Noel Yu
“A child is a blessing from the Lord and the Lord charges parents with a tremendous responsibility to raise the child in His ways and establish a godly foundation upon Jesus. ”
A child is a blessing from the Lord and the Lord charges parents with a tremendous responsibility to raise the child in His ways and establish a godly foundation upon Jesus. (Deut 6:1, 2, 7)
When our children are still young, we dedicate them to the Lord and vow publicly to raise them according to God’s ways and not our own ways. (Ephesians 6:4) However, our commitment to raising our children in the ways of the Lord doesn’t end there. The following is a list of some of the things we can do as parents to keep our vow.
Pray for our children constantly
Our responsibility to pray for our children continues until the day the child commits his/her own life to the Lord (Job 1:5) and beyond. Praying for our children and their needs and inviting them to pray with us should become a daily practice.
Teach them the ways of the Lord
Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6 teach us that we need to bring our children up in the way of the Lord. Apart from bringing our children to Children’s or Youth Ministry, personal day-to-day instruction helps our children understand how to view moral and ethical decisions from God’s perspective.
Be a living example of Christ to them
The number one witness to our children is the godly example set by our own lives. Proverbs 20:7 says, “The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.” The children are blessed because they have godly examples through their parents they can follow.
The best way to be that witness is through a disciplined life of studying the Bible, prayer, fellowship, and faithful service to God. Your life will reflect the very character of God more and more each day and your children will witness that reflection.
Discipline them in the same manner the Lord disciplines us
The book of Proverbs teaches many practical aspects concerning the discipline we are to provide for our children. However, any discipline we give to our children should be done for their profit and not out of our frustration. We discipline our children in the same way the Lord disciplines us. (Hebrews 12:5-11) God never strikes at His children in anger, and we shouldn’t either. Instead, we should explain to them why we are disciplining them, we carry out that discipline, and then—most importantly— we show our love for them just as God has shown us His love.
文: 余汉伟弟兄
“孩子是上帝给我们的祝福，祂也赋予家长重大的责任，要他们以祂的方式来抚养孩子，并以耶稣基督为敬虔的基础。”
当孩子年幼时，我们将他们奉献给主，并在众人面前宣誓要以神的方式，而不是自己的方式来养育他们（以弗所书6:4）但是我们的责任并没有在这里划下句点。以下是身为父母的我们可以做的一些事，让我们遵守当时的誓言：
为孩子不住地祷告
为孩子祷告的责任不仅持续至孩子们把生命交托给主的那天，甚至在那以后还是要继续（约伯记1:5）。为孩子及他们的需要祈祷，并邀请他们跟我们一起祷告应当成为日常生活的一部分。
教导他们主的道
以弗所书6:4及箴言22:6告诉我们，父母必须以神的方式来教育孩子。除了带他们参加主日学或少年团契之外，在平常日子里也必须教导他们如何从上帝的观点来看待或了解道德及伦理上的决定。
活出耶稣基督的榜样
对孩子而言，父母以身作则，树立敬虔的榜样，是最首要的见证。箴言20:7 说到 “行为完全的义人，他的后代是有福的。” 因为有父母所树立的榜样可以效仿，所以义人的孩子才有福。成为美好见证的最佳方法便是通过自律的生活，勤于查经，祷告，团契，及忠心地侍奉上帝。你的生命将渐渐地反映出上帝的品格，而孩子们也将观察到这一点。
如上帝管教我们般地管教孩子
我们从箴言书中可以学到许多关于管教孩子的实际内容。但是，在对孩子施予任何管教时，我们必须是为了让孩子受益，而不是出于自己的怒气。我们要效仿上帝管教我们的方式来管教自己的孩子。（希伯来书12:5-11）。上帝从不在动怒时管教祂的子民，所以我们也不应该这么做。相反的，我们应该向孩子解释，自己为什么要被管教，而在受罚之后也必须像上帝对我们表达祂对我们的爱一样，让孩子知道他们是被爱的。