2 John 1:4
“I rejoiced greatly that I found of your children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.”
Children are very impressionable. They see and hear everything. Therefore, parents must make sure they model absolute integrity and not have double standards. Setting a good example may mean not exercising your liberty in front of your children.
The old cliché, “Do as I say not as I do”, just doesn’t cut it. There is no quicker way to lose your integrity with young people than to do the very thing your asking them not to do.
Never let your children see you compromise truth even in little, insignificant ways, for such actions will plant seeds in their hearts that will take root, causing them to be people who do not walk in integrity or deal with others honestly.
As parents we have a responsibility to raise our children in the fear and admonition of the LORD, to set the Godly example for them to follow and not give cause for them to stumble. Even then, God has given them a free will to choose; you can’t force your will on them but you can pray for them.
The Truth
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)
