THE SPECIAL VALUE OF OUR CHILDREN

Psalm 144:11-12
11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children,
whose mouth speaketh vanity,
and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:
12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:

What joy a new born baby brings to a home. Just to hold the fragile bundle and feel the tenderness of the supple skin is pure joy. Think about the unconscious and absolute dependence of this baby on the care of its parents. It is not for children to be fathers or mothers. That is a job for grown men and grown women. The care of our children is very paramount our lives as married couples. God commands us to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Prov.22:6 ; Eph.6:4). Children are a gift from the Lord. Children are called the heritage of the Lord and thus must receive necessary care and training they need to fulfil their destiny in life.

A. Grief By Strange Children

(i)  THEIR CALUMNY (Psalm 144:7,8). These are strange children. Their lifestyle is strange, their speech is strange, their relationship with their parents is strange, their language is strength. they cannot speak the language of Zion. the poison of asps is on their lips (Neh.13:24; Deut.32:20; Rom. 3:13). They are strange children - strange to their parents and strange to God. They behave like strangers to the covenant of God. They deny God. They deny authority. they deny God. They are children left to themselves (Prov.29:15)

(ii)  THEIR CLAMOUR (Psalm 144:11): They speak vanity. They believe in the falsehood that this world is everything. They clamour for things of this world. They earthly and worldly
(iii) THEIR CALLOUSNESS (Psalm 144:4; Rom.1:30-31): They are disobedient to parents, implacable, without natural affection. No wonder gay and lesbian activities are now considered normal. When the natural affection between husband and wife, and between children and parents evaporates, everything becomes strange and unnatural. Why is there so much evil in our world? Because of strange children, who have no affection for parents, who grow up and infiltrate society with their unnatural behaviour - backbiting, hateful, deceitful, boastful, proud, unmerciful and implacable. What is our prayer? Rid us of such children! If you are a child and all these things we are saying seem to affect you, repent and turn to God and He will have mercy. If you are a parent and you have such children, pray to God for help to bring them up as God requires. This leads me to the growth of our children.

B. Growth Of Our Children

(i)   THE TENDERNESS OF THEIR GROWTH (Psalm 144:12): As plants grown up in their youth. In another place it says "Thy children olive plants round about thy table" (Psalm 128:3). Our children are like tender plants that need to be cultivated. Their minds are tender, it is our responsibility to create an atmosphere in which they will grow. There mind is spotless and harmless. What we allow to be planted there is of paramount importance. We must help our children to cultivate their minds primarily with God's word. This will help them acquire wisdom and knowledge of God (Luke 2:40-52). Jesus said that adults who wish to enter the Kingdom of heaven must be converted and their minds made pure like those of children ( Matthew 18:1-4; Mark 10:13-16; Eph.6:4; Col.3:21)
(ii)  THE TYPING OF THEIR GROWTH (Psalm 144:12): As plants grown up. Healthy plants have life in them. So also our children have been equipped by God with everything to grow up and be useful. Children are classified as babes (1Peter 2:2-3). Young tender plants need cultivating and maturing. We water them. We manure them. We weed around them. We prop them up until they are strong enough to stand on their own. We must feed our children the pure milk of the Word of God. The word of God is able to make them grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of God.
(iii) THE TIMING OF THEIR GROWTH (Psalm 144:12): Grown up in their youth. One of our young nephews jokingly said that the reason we did not grow as tall as they was because we were growing up during the Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970. In those days there were no food, no good nutrition, no Medicare. We missed our time of growth! Compare that will children born this age in the UK. They have more than they even need to grow physically. Teach your children the Word of God early (Prov.22:6; Eccl.12:1; Prov.29:15). All children have the right to be given the opportunity to know God early. Timothy was a great example of early influence of godly parents (2Tim.1:5)

C. Grounding Of Our Children

(i)   THE POSITION OF OUR CHILDREN (Psalm 144:12): As corner stones. Corner stones unite intersecting walls. So are children in the home. The have a uniting influence on the family. When Pastor Benny Hinn and his wife Susan Hinn divorced, his grand child one day after two years asked, "Grandpa, when is grandma coming back?" That was the trigger for their reunion and reconciliation! (Psalm 8:2; 127:3-5). Our children are there to bring restoration to the family and to the Church (Isaiah 58:12)  Our children should continue the ministry of the Gospel of Christ as we pass it unto them.
(ii)  THE POLISH OF OUR CHILDREN (Psalm 144:12): As corner stones polished after the similitude of the palace. Polishing is an art of making a piece of stone into a gem. Using some form of sanding paper, a rough piece of rock, metal or wood can be polished into a lovely, smooth surface. Polishing has to remove something from our children. The instrument of polishing our children is the word of God:
1. (Psalm 119:105) - Like a lamp it show them the light so they do not walk in the darkness of this world.
2.  (Jer.23:29) - It is like fire and like a hammer that knocks out the rough edges of life and burns the chaff like fire, leaving only what is good and true.
3. (Heb.4:12) - like a two edged sword it penetrates the deepest recesses of their hearts.
4. (James 1:22) - like mirror it will reflect our life, revealing what is good and what is not and what must be removed or corrected.
5. (Mat.4:4) - Like food it feeds us and keeps us spiritually alive!
God's word is a character shaper. The Ten Commandments display to us the character of God. We must practice keeping them
(iii) THE PLACE OF OUR CHILDREN (Psalm 144:12): As corner stones polished after the similitude of the palace. This refers to the Kingdom of God. The ultimate purpose of training our children is for the ultimate destination of all God's people - the Kingdom of Heaven. What shall it profit if this is not the goal (Mat.16:26). Every preparation, every training, every polishing is to prepare us and our children for the Kingdom of Heaven. Are you ready for that? Some people mistakenly suppose that success on earth alone is all they need. That is not true (Luke 12:16-21). Are you ready?