“Lo, children are a heritage of Jehovah; and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3). These precious gifts come to us as tiny packages—pure, fresh and completely dependent. They are dependent on parents for feeding, protection and love. Commonly, parents provide for them the physical necessities of life. “And of which of you that is a father shall his son ask a loaf, and he give him a stone?” (Luke 11:11). To refuse meals to a hungry child would be criminal.
We do not fully understand “how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child” (Ecclesiastes 11:5). Neither can we comprehend how God “forms the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1). Nevertheless, He does it. Every infant makes his or her debut with body and spirit. Bodily care is only part of the parental responsibility. What about spiritual feeding? “Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Neither adults nor youths learn the ways of God through osmosis. How often have we seen mothers struggling alone each Sunday to bring their children to worship? What role ought real men fulfill regarding their children’s spiritual wellbeing? “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Some men are good breadwinners. However, children with contented bellies are still in need of the bread of life. It is no surprise that Timothy became spiritually strong, since “from a babe” he had “known the sacred writings” (2 Timothy 3:15). Wholly-healthy children feed from the table and from the Bible. Do your children enjoy a balanced diet, or are your children half starved?
