How much would you sell your child or children for? No… seriously think about an amount… $10,000… $100,000… $1 Million… $1 Billion?
“Silly question,” you may say. But if your answer is “priceless” or “there is no amount I would sell”… guess what? You are wealthy, my friend. Yes… I said wealthy! Stick with me now…
There are many people who do not have any children… for whatever reason… by choice or not by choice. Sadly, I am one of them. But for those who do, I have a message for you from God. Psalm 127:3 states, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Let’s break this down what God is saying to us.
The Hebrew root word for “heritage” means to inherit, inheritance, possession and get this… even the word “heirloom” is used, which means a valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations. God entrusted YOU to take care of these valuable possessions and raise them right. Why?
Short answer is two main reasons… 1) To your benefit, the parents, so you have a safety net or what I call God’s social security… and 2) To their benefit, the children, so they may live LONG lives and be blessed. Let me elaborate in closing…
Some of us never make it to old age, like my late wife, who was ravaged by breast cancer. But if you do have children and you make it to your 80’s and 90’s and even older… those children become your safety net. The circle of life indeed comes full circle. As a baby, totally dependent on food, using the bathroom or diapers, etc… one day our feeble bodies return to the same dependency. And here is where the priceless value of children really kick in… “But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God” (1 Timothy 5:4). When your spouse dies (along with that support), your children and their children become your social security… your inheritance… your priceless heirloom.
But the children must live long enough themselves to be there for you when the time comes. How do they do that? The key is God’s fifth commandment… “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land…” (Exodus 20:12). This is a two-way commitment… parents raise their children in the teachings of God… and the children honor their parents in order to live long lives. That is wealth, my friends.
