In my Scripture writing recently, I copied from Acts 7:20-22, which says, In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months: And when he was cast out, Pharoah’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
When I first read the word “nourished,” I thought it stood for feeding and caring for the child; but as I studied this word in the dictionary, I discovered something interesting. The word “nourish” means “to help the growth or development of and to bring to maturity through care and education.” Then I stopped to think about how this applies to the verses I was writing.
Moses started his life under the care and guidance of his biological mother, who happened to be a Christian. She kept him for only three months, but she did all that she could to instill in him the love of the Lord. Then, she was forced to put him into the basket in the river to let the Lord take care of him. God placed Pharoah’s daughter in his path. She then rescued and cared for Moses as if he were her own.
Clearly, a three-month-old baby would not remember everything he learned under the care and guidance of his mother, but a thought came to my mind as I meditated on these verses and the word “nourished.”
We have so little time with our children in our homes. Often, we have just 18 years. In retrospect, this is minimal time to teach them all they need to know about life and about God. Yet, God expects us to do our best in rearing and training them in the way they should go, as the book of Proverbs tells us (Proverbs 22:6).
Eventually, they will need to go out into the world and make decisions for themselves. They must be able to lean on a strong foundation in order to make those choices with wisdom. They may stumble along the way as Moses did; but if we instill a strong, Christian foundation in their hearts and minds, they are more apt to use good judgment along the way.
How do we do this, though? How do we nourish our children in the Lord? I am not perfect, and neither are my children, but I will share a few things I have learned while rearing my girls. These lessons may be repetitious, but they are worth reiterating.
Start when the children are young.
Deuteronomy 6:7 says, And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. We should teach our children about God every waking moment of their lives. My husband instilled the Bible into the hearts of my girls while they were in the womb; and as they were babes in their cribs and could not speak a word, he continued to do so! He held the Bible above them and told them it was the Word of God. They may not remember this, but I do! I know deep down that this made a big difference later in their lives.
Make the Bible a priority.
The Bible says in Joshua 1:8, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. If we want our children to love the Bible, we must love the Bible. If we want our children to read the Bible, we must read the Bible. If we want our children to memorize the Bible, we also must memorize the Bible.
The Bible must hold a prominent place in our homes. It should be visible to anyone who comes through the door. It should not be regarded as just a book we take to church that is put away until the next time. It must be cherished and read every day!
Make church a priority.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. We must teach our children that every time the church doors are open, we will be there. It is not only about supporting the local church and the pastor but also about fellowshipping with other Christians and making the right kinds of friends. Most of us work secularly and spend a majority of our time in the world. Therefore, it is vital that we make time to be in church with no excuses. Church attendance is a priority, and our children benefit from seeing that skipping church is never an option.
Make prayer a priority.
Philippians 4:6 says, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. We should teach our children that going to God in prayer is a natural thing. Again, the best way to teach this is by example. If we fail to show our children that we trust God and depend on Him to provide for our needs through prayer, they will never see the power of prayer. If there were only a few lessons my children learned from my husband, they were to be on their knees before God early in the morning and never to trust in personal strength to get things done. Talking to God is as simple as talking to a friend. Let us teach our children to go to God in prayer for everything!
While much more could be said, these lessons are essential when it comes to rearing children to fear and love the Lord for a lifetime. Along the way, they may take detours or even fight against God’s will, but we can rest assured that we obeyed what God has instructed us to do — to teach our children.
I hope this encouragement reminds parents to enjoy their children through the ups and downs of child rearing. However, let us not forget to nourish them up in the things of God.
by April Hernandez