Parenting by the Book
STUDY 227
Text: Proverbs 20
30 October 2005
Dear Parents,
AS CHILDREN GROW UP
We will need to give different types of advice to children as they grow up. It would be good to make a list of the different types of advice we ought to have at hand as the children grow up.
1. Infancy
2. Toddlers
3. Kindergarten
4. Primary School years
5. Teenage year
Each set of advice will be slightly different, one from the other! The reasons are obvious as to why we need to give them different sets of advice.
1. Their needs differ.
2. They have different sets of questions.
3. They will need deeper and more comprehensive answers.
THE QUESTION OF WINE-DRINKING
One of the inevitable questions that must be raised when children become Teens would be the issue of wine-drinking. Once again we must avoid the extreme position of rejecting the consumption of wine in totality! (There is no question about the fact that the Lord Jesus turned water into wine; Cf. John 2).
The wiser alternative is to warn about the danger of excessive consumption of wine. The following text is most vivid in its description of the dangerous effects of drunkenness.
Wine is a mocker,
Strong drink is a brawler,
And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.Proverbs 20:1
Wine may seen tempting. But ultimately, it will mock the person who ends up being enslaved. Wine can cause a mild person to become a brawler! He who is unwise will be led astray! Let’s guide our children with good advice always!
Prayerfully,
Pastor Charlie