Are Your Children Obedient And Happy? Part 1- Introduction

A beautiful sight to behold is an obedient and happy child. Have you seen one?


Better still is to have your own child obedient and happy and let me say, they are a delight to be around!

Things that I would like to write on this subject are so vast that it will take several parts to cover. So.... this is Part One on: "Are Your Children Obedient and Happy?"


There is a reason the title of this post puts obedient before happy, for without obedience, there is no happiness.

Why is it very important that children obey their parents?


The most obvious answer to this question is that God commands it! Here are just a few verses to remind us of this fact:


"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." (Ephesians 6:1-3)

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:20)


"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known." (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)

We as mothers aught to look very carefully at these Scriptures and consider that obedience to God is extremely important, there are consequences to both sides of obedience.

"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. "(Jeremiah 7:23)

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20:12)

God has commanded children to obey their parents. This is a COMMAND!


Oh godly mothers let us think about this very soberly!
We won't allow our children to do anything that is physically harmful to them, like put their fingers in a electrical plug, or run into the street, or play with a sharp object, get near the oven, etc.. Yet what if they delay to come when called, or talk back, scream for something they want, won't eat the food set before them, grumble and whine when they don't like something, etc...? How harmful is that for them? God warns the children to honor and obey their parents SO:

"That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."

"A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God"

"Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people."

His warning continues: "And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God".....

So, how harmful is it to our dear children if they are not taught to obey their parents? According to God's Word it is very, very bad and harmful for them. Do we believe what God says? If so, let us act like it!

God commands parents to teach their children to obey and gives warning to us!

from the Geneva Bible :
The rodde (rod) and correction giue wisdome (give wisdom): but a childe (child) set a libertie,(liberty) maketh his mother ashamed. (Proverbs 29:15)

King James Bible:
"The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." (Proverbs 29:15)

"Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell". (Proverbs 23:13-14)

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him".
(Proverbs 22:15)

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
(Proverbs 22:6)

Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.
(Ecclesiastes 4:13)

We must take the instruction from God in raising children very seriously! If we should go our own way, do our own thing in raising our children and ignore these warnings, there will be a life time of eternal consequences, not only for our children and grandchildren but also for us. We do reap what we sow and as a garden that is not "tended to" becomes dominated with weeds, so children not "tended to" becomes dominated with sin and evil. This mother knows the bitter anguish and sorrow that is hers as a consequence from this. "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." (Proverbs 29:15) Though now I do praise Him for saving me and teaching me truth, I still have sorrow for the past sins I committed against my older children before I was saved. (Yet God is faithful and answering prayer for them. We are clay in the Potters hands)


I have heard many mothers complain that they love their child too much to spank them. They try their own methods of discipline which often leaves a child extremely frustrated and angry. God has given us clear instruction to use a rod... spank! A rod is a rod... not a club, but a thin piece of wood or something that will not cause physical injury. A spank with a rod should "smart" and sting. The child should know that he has been spanked by the aftermath stinging sensation on his bottom! But I plan to get more into this in one of the post on this series.



Mothers, getting back to the idea of loving your child too much to spank them, or correct them, I have a few things to say. Is that true love? I have heard mothers say, "I want my child to like me." So they coddle the child and try to reason with them as if they are adults, Is that true love? What kind of love do we love our children with? There are many types of love, how are we loving our children? A godly mother who wants to obey God and discipline her children according to His Word needs to ask God to give her Agape love for her children. Agape love is God's love. Agape love:

" entails the decision to proactively seek someone's well-being. Since it is not a knee jerk reaction nor just a responsive feeling to how I've been treated, agape is capable of acting in a hostile environment where there are no warm fuzzy feelings. For example, Jesus' teaching that we should agape our enemies is intended to show the boundless nature of the Christian commitment toward seeking another's well-being. Luke 6:35 The New Testament is full of examples and teachings illustrating the nature of agape as well as teaching designed to train the disciple's heart to be shaped by agape. A few examples illustrating the active nature of agape include: • Knowing that sinful man would kill His Son, but also knowing that without Jesus we were doomed, God loved (agape) us by sending his Son. John 3:16 • Those who love (agape) Jesus will do what Jesus taught. John 14:15,23 • If a person has material resources and the love (agape) of God within him, his heart will take care of his brother who is in need. 1 John 3:17 • Just as Christ through love (agape) acted on behalf of the church, so too the Christian husband is to be motivated by love (agape) to act on behalf of his wife. Ephesians 5:25-29"
taken from: http://www.sjchurchofchrist.org/agape.shtml

"A Short Handbook on Love"


I do not think we can comprehend the depths of God's love! The true people of God have the Spirit of God and He gives us the fruits of His Spirit which includes love, that is, His love. We must love our children with His love...and then we can discipline them with godly wisdom.

Facets of His love are deep and have no limit!

Take a look at this cut ruby, the depth and beauty is just amazing! Looking at this we have a visual of depth reflecting the underlying symmetry of the crystal structure. The deep symmetry of God's love is way beyond our understanding! We need to love our children with this perspective.. a deep and precious facet of God's love is discipline.

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." (Hebrews 12:5-8)

To be continued... part 2 of: "Are Your Children Obedient and Happy?"

Mothers, Are We Preachers At Home?

Be A Preacher At Home Dear godly Mothers, Our Children Will Benefit Greatly!

Yesterday, June 30, 2009, I was with my 21 year old daughter, sitting in the parked car while we waited for my son to finish his piano lesson. We had decided to wait at the park and read the Bible out-loud to each other since we are learning the power of the spoken Word of God.
While sitting we observed 3 boys who had just arrived at the park, they must have been about 13, 12 and 11 years of age. It was a wet and soggy day so the park was empty, except for the boys. Leah was reading to me and I watched those boys as they balanced and ran on a large fountain rim, then pulled out some picnic tables and jumped on them. As I watched I heard a "still small voice" say, "go talk to them about me".. I mused.. "ummm what, ummm really?" "Go talk to them about me, it will effect them for their entire lives." I looked at Leah and told her that God the Lord just told me to go give those boys the gospel, "so let's pray"... I felt ashamed for being so slow to obey, and got out of the car, with Bible in hand walked over to them.

"Hi there! Hey have you got ten minutes to talk about something?" The oldest boy, who had pierced rings on either side of his lower lip asked,"What about?", (I answer)......."The Bible." He jerked back as if hit, "No! I don't believe in God."........ "Don't believe in God? How can this be? just look at the grass and trees, nature and all He has created, How can you not believe in Him?" The youngest boy wanting to please the older chimed in that he didn't believe either. Eric, who must be about 12 yrs. took the gospel tract that the others refused and stood still with interest in what I had to say, so I began to show him scriptures in the Bible. Genesis and John is where God lead me and explained about creation and how God made man from the dust of the earth, also about sin and what Jesus did for us on the cross. Eric admitted his sin and I asked him what he has done about that sin, since God cannot have sin in heaven nor can He look upon sin. I pointed him to Jesus on the cross and His sacrifice, taking our sin upon himself, becoming sin for us and about his need to believe in Jesus and repent of his sin. I told him that Jesus Christ is God and that He arose from the dead and is alive forever more. During the whole time I was talking to Eric the other two boys tried all they could to interrupt me. They kept pulling on Eric and trying to get him to leave saying, "Why listen to her, you have better things to do with your time." I asked them, "Why do you hate God? Why don't you want to listen to the Bible, are you afraid to hear God's Word?" They were both very nervous when I read the Bible to Eric, the youngest ran over to me, grabbed my Bible and tried to pull it out of my hands, but God had given me a good grip on it and he couldn't, I said, "Young sir, this is my Bible." I asked him what he would do with it? he answered, "I'd burn it." The older boy took the tract away from Eric and pretended to rip it apart. I gave Eric another tract and told him to put it in his pocket right away or they would take that too, and he listened to me. The two boys took up pine cones and threw them at me trying to stop me from talking. I encouraged him to read the tract and look up the scriptures from it in his Bible and pray for God to show him the truth. Eric thanked me for talking to him, and I left. (Please pray for this child and the other boys.)

Mothers! With great earnestness, teach your children the Word of God! Eric was different than the other two boys... why? I don't know the answer, but here is a clue, he told me he had a Bible at home and had heard something about God, he knew a little bit about what I told him. The other two boys made me think of two demons running around trying to keep Eric from learning about God, (Leah, who was watching, praying, and reading the Bible out-loud in the car) told me that they looked like two demons to her.

This whole affair sobers* me so much! We as mothers must be keepers at home and preachers at home... love Jesus Christ the Lord, learn about Him, draw close to Him, obey, reverence, fear and honor Him, He is God, Creator of heaven and earth! *As we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. We will be more like Jesus, He will lead us in the way we should go! *Our children will benefit as we seek God, they will learn to do the same as we set the example in our words and living till our very lives are "preachers at home". Let us be sober! The lives of our children are at stake.. Who will they be like?

*Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:8-10)

*Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. (James 4:8)

*and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:7-9)