Parents are going to pay a price either on the FRONT end or the BACK end for how they teach OR fail to teach their children.
If you INVEST your time and energy to discipline your children in the Lord (Eph. 6:4) while they are young, the investment will pay off down the road. For example, you may have to sacrifice some material goods now and allow mom to stay home with the little ones, but the long-term benefits will be there. Your sacrifice will pay off. Your spiritual investment will pay “dividends” spiritually speaking.
If you choose NOT to invest your time and energy in disciplining your children in the Lord, then it WILL cost you in the long run. You may decide to neglect church OR home worship times OR think that your children are going to pick up spiritual things from people other than their parents. If you neglect your God-given responsibilities of parenting, you will pay the price and your children and grandchildren and greatgrandchildren may also pay a hefty price.
We counsel so many parents who have sacrificed their children on the altar of the idolatry of greed for financial gain. They accrue huge amounts of money, houses, cars, and other material possessions; however, they are failing to teach their children about serving Christ and end up squandering their hard earned cash on drug rehabs, medical bills stemming from sinful choices, and other selfish, poor choices that the “now an adult” child is making (like getting pregnant out of wedlock and having to raise their GRANDbaby,etc.).
Parenting will cost you: now…or later, if you neglect to fulfill your responsibility to the Lord.
-Mark (praying for God’s grace in my parenting and remembering to invest in my children’s spiritual well-being)