How to Raise Wise, Godly Children Training Your Child to Obey Dealing with Rebellion Training in Righteousness Aiming for the Heart

Training in Righteousness Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6) Up till now we have focused on teaching your children to obey you. In this section we will look at training our children in all areas of righteousness

Training in Righteousness Training in obedience is a good and necessary start. It teaches our children that they must do what we tell them to do without challenge and without delay. Training in righteousness is aimed at imparting good character. Training in righteousness teaches our children to: Discern and what is wise and right even in areas where we have not given them specific instructions. Do what is wise and right even when we’re not there.

Training in Righteousness We instill good character in our children by encouraging them to develop good character traits and discouraging (and disciplining) them when they exhibit bad character traits. Some Questions to Consider: How do we determine whether a character trait is good or bad? Is it safe to depend on our own conscience or intuition alone in evaluating our children’s behavior? Why or why not?

Training in Righteousness As we pointed out in the beginning of this series, the Word of God is our ultimate standard for what we should or should not be doing as parents. Therefore, as you begin thinking about the kind of character traits that you want to develop in your children, you will obviously need to spend a lot time studying and thinking about what the Word of God has to say about good and bad character – especially as it relates to children. Question: Do you think that there are portions of scripture that will be particularly helpful to you as you go about this task? If so, where in particular might you begin looking?

Training in Righteousness As we seek to instill wisdom and godly character into our children, it seems to me that one of the most helpful places in scripture to begin looking is the book of Proverbs because it was originally given as a training manual for parents to teach their children. As a supplement to the book of Proverbs, I would also suggest studying and thinking about the various lists of positive and negative character traits that are found throughout scripture – especially those addressed to Christians in the New Testament. Question: Is it reasonable to train our children and hold them accountable for New Testament standards that are given to spirit filled believers, when we’re not even sure that our children have become Christians?

Training in Righteousness Character traits addressed in the book of Proverbs: The Importance of Wisdom The Fear of the Lord The Purpose and Danger of Anger Sex and Beauty The Value and Danger of Money and Wealth The Importance of Work The Danger of Pride The Importance of Self-Control Mending Broken Relationships Your Plans; God’s Plans The Power of Our Words Dealing With Prosperity and Adversity The Marks of a True Friend