PARENTS! IT’S YOUR DUTY. Children are little people who grow up to be big people.  They move from childhood to adulthood. Between childhood and adulthood, it is the duty of the parents to prepare the little people in the home to become independent adults. How do we prepare our children to become independent rather than dependent? 

In our previous lessons, we have examined the idea of success from the perspective of managing God’s resources, especially regarding money and finance.

We have also looked at some practical steps for managing money wisely and even tips on paying off debt.

We now examine some of the common pitfalls that come with earning money and how to avoid them.

We have established, in terms of success, that we must put God first on our list of priorities and make a financial commitment to him. But it does not stop there, we must be productive. This requires that we become independent adults who work to earn an honest living.

Review any of our previous lessons @ SabbathSchoolDaily.com.

Also, you can obtain the study guide to these lessons @ Sabbath.School or ssnet.org 

Inviting God’s Presence

Holy Father, some of what we are learning may be new. Give us a clear understanding of it and show us how to put it into practice.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen

As we have seen in the previous lesson, God intended us humans to work. As a matter of fact, besides money, work has many benefits, which include our physical, social, and psychological well-being.

The part of our lives when we work is called  “the working years.” The working years generally encompass about 40 years of our lives.

This is most often the time when individuals get together to form a family and have children.

Also, this is when adults buy a home and make other major purchases, such as a car and home furnishings.

If children are in the home, they are sent to school to obtain an education. Because of the many needs, the financial obligations of the family increase, this is a very sensitive time because, at the same time, the family, including the parents and the children, are learning to work together to create lifelong bonds. 

This is a critical time for the family, and if the parents lack sufficient spiritual guidance, it could become a time in which the family breaks up as their obligations increase.

However, with God directing the family, the family members learn to work together and learn to love each other. With God leading, this love can continue for a lifetime.

The point is that financial problems can hurt a marriage during the working years. But families can succeed if both parties, the husband and wife, put God first. This means that both must be committed and willing to follow the principles of God as written in the Bible.

Following God’s principles help to make the family much more stable than one that totally excludes God.

Here are some principles that God has established for his people regarding the financial management of the home.

 1 Timothy 5:8

8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (I Timothy 5:8)

Proverbs 14:23;

23 In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:23)

and Colossians 3:23, 24.

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Traditionally, the father has been the one who earned the largest portion of the money. In our contemporary society, generally, both the husband and the wife work.

However, things happen that are less than ideal. The family may break up, and still, others may have children before marriage, creating a single-parent home.

Furthermore, disasters may happen bringing on sickness, economic downturns, and whatever.

These types of circumstances can make what would be ideal difficult. This means that sometimes, and in our modern day, many times, families may have to change their spending habits to adjust to changing circumstances.

Nevertheless, children born into a family are a gift from God.  The Bible tells us, in Psalm 127:3

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.  (Psalm 127:3).

We should never forget that children are God’s property. They are on loan to us. They need a lot of love and care. Parents are responsible for teaching their children to become responsible, independent adults who can take care of their own needs.

Part of teaching children how to become responsible adults is teaching them to love and trust God, accept Jesus as their Savior, and look forward to living eternally in God’s heavenly kingdom. This comes with helping them to love and appreciate his guidance as it is expressed in his word the Bible.

Three important rules to help parents in raising their children to be responsible, independent adults that love God are:

1. In simple child-like terms, teach your children to love God and love each other. Sat aside time with your children perhaps in the morning and evening, and pray with them. Tell them stories from the Bible in words that they can understand, Give them the opportunity to know more about God by attending a place of worship that has a class on their level that teaches them the stories in the Bible. Also, teach them how to give offerings to God and return tithe. (As we learned, the tithe is 10% of all the money we get from work or as a gift.) This will help them to form the habit of giving early in life.
2. Teach your children to love and appreciate work. Children will discover that people welcome and will reward those who have integrity and work diligently. Help them to understand that money comes to them when they give their time to others by performing tasks that are valuable to them.
3. And if you can afford it, pay for your children’s education. Yes, education is expensive, especially when you place your child in a Christian school. But the money you pay is well worth the expense in the long run in so many ways.

Nevertheless, after we have done all that we can do, because God has given us all freedom of choice, no matter what you as a parent do, there is no guarantee on which direction your children will choose to go. Therefore, what is important is that you do your best as a parent and not blame yourself for the wrong choices that your children might make as adults. 

The day will come when the working years will come to a close, and if we have done our part, we enter a new phase. How can we ensure that our working years are successful? Find out on Day 5: Working with Integrity.

 If you wish to return tithe or give an offering, consider giving online,

@ Adventistgiving.org

my local Church:

Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church 7902 Wheatly Street Houston, TX 77088