31 Bible Verses about Nurture

And fathers, do not irritate your children, but bring them up with Christian discipline and instruction.

Fathers, never irritate your children, lest they should become disheartened.

now that I have been reminded of the sincere faith that you have shown. That faith was seen first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and is now, I am convinced, in you also.

and that, from your childhood, you have known the Sacred Writings, which can give you the wisdom that, through belief in Christ Jesus, leads to Salvation.

But we lived among you with the simplicity of a child; we were like a woman nursing her own children. In our strong affection for you, that seemed to us the best way of sharing with you, not only God's Good news, but our very lives as well--so dear had you become to us. You will not have forgotten, Brothers, our labor and toil. Night and day we used to work at our trades, so as not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you God's Good News.read more.
You will bear witness, and God also, that our relations with you who believed in Christ were pure, and upright, and beyond reproach. Indeed, you know that, like a father with his own children, we used to encourage and comfort every one of you, and solemnly plead with you; So that you should make your daily lives worthy of God who is calling you into the glory of his Kingdom.

When breakfast was over, Jesus said to Simon Peter: "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than the others?" "Yes, Master," he answered, "you know that I am your friend." "Feed my lambs," said Jesus. Then, a second time, Jesus asked: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Master," he answered, "you know that I am your friend." "Tend my sheep," said Jesus. The third time, Jesus said to him: "Simon, son of John, are you my friend?" Peter was hurt at his third question being 'Are you my friend?'; and exclaimed: "Master, you know everything! You can tell that I am your friend." "Feed my sheep," said Jesus.

And, when they came, he spoke to them as follows: "You know well the life that I always led among you from the very first day that I set foot in Roman Asia, Serving the Lord, as I did, in all humility, amid the tears and trials which fell to my lot through the plots of the Jews. I never shrank from telling you anything that could be helpful to you, or from teaching you both in public and in private.

It is with no wish to shame you that I am writing like this; but to warn you as my own dear children. Though you may have thousands of instructors in the Faith of Christ, yet you have not many fathers. It was I who, through union with Christ Jesus, became your father by means of the Good News.

Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face, and make good any deficiency in your faith.

who holds doctrine that can be relied on as being in accordance with the accepted Teaching; so that he may be able to encourage others by sound teaching, as well as to refute our opponents.

As for the older men among you, who bear office in the Church, I, their fellow-Officer, and a witness to the sufferings of the Christ, who shall also share in the glory that is to be revealed-- I urge you to be true shepherds of the flock of God among you, not because you are compelled, but of your own free will; not from a base love of gain, but with a ready spirit; not as lords of your charges, but as examples to your flock.

And so again with the younger men--impress upon them the need of discretion. Above all, set an example of doing good. Show sincerity in your teaching, and a serious spirit;

I have never coveted any one's gold or silver or clothing. You, yourselves, know that these hands of mine provided not only for my own wants, but for my companions also. I left nothing undone to show you that, laboring as I labored, you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said himself-- 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Therefore I entreat you-Follow my example. This is my reason for sending Timothy to you. He is my own dear faithful child in the Master's service, and he will remind you of my methods of teaching the Faith of Christ Jesus-methods which I follow everywhere in every Church.

Imitate me, as I myself imitate Christ.

All that you learned and received and heard and saw in me put into practice continually; and then God, the giver of peace, will be with you.

Because the Good News that we brought came home to you, not merely as so many words, but with a power and a fulness of conviction due to the Holy Spirit. For you know the life that we lived among you for your good. And you yourselves began to follow, not only our example, but the Master's also; and, in spite of much suffering, you welcomed the Message with a joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,

We entreat you also, Brothers--warn the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, give a helping hand to the weak, and be patient with every one. Take care that none of you ever pays back wrong for wrong, but always follow the kindest course with one another and with every one.

As for those whose faith is weak, always receive them as friends, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on their scruples.

But take care that this right of yours does not become in any way a stumbling-block to the weak. For if some one should see you who possess this knowledge, feasting in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is a weak man, become so hardened that he, too, will eat food offered to idols? And so, through this knowledge of yours, the weak man is ruined-your Brother for whose sake Christ died!read more.
In this way, by sinning against your Brothers and injuring their consciences, while still weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat makes my Brother fall, rather than make my Brother fall, I will never eat meat again.

Brothers, even if a man should be caught committing a sin, you who are spiritually minded should, in a gentle spirit, help him to recover himself, taking care lest any one of you also should be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so carry out the Law of the Christ.

Therefore encourage one another, and try to build up one another's characters, as indeed you are doing.

So, too, that the older women should be reverent in their demeanor, and that they should avoid scandal, and beware of becoming slaves to drink; that they should teach what is right, so as to train the younger women to love their husbands and children, and to be discreet, pure-minded, domesticated, good women, ready to submit to their husbands, in order that God's Message may not be maligned.

like newly born infants, crave pure spiritual milk, so that you may be enabled by it to grow till you attain Salvation--

I fed you with milk, not with solid food, for you were not then able to take it. No, and even now you are not able; you are still worldly.

Brothers, do not show yourselves children in understanding. In wickedness be infants, but in understanding show yourselves men.

Now on this subject I have much to say, but it is difficult to explain it to you, because you have shown yourselves so slow to learn. For whereas, considering the time that has elapsed, you ought to be teaching others, you still need some one to teach you the very alphabet of the Divine Revelation, and need again to be fed with 'milk' instead of with 'solid food.' For every one who still has to take 'milk' knows nothing of the Teaching of Righteousness; he is a mere infant.read more.
But 'solid food' is for Christians of mature faith--those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish right from wrong.

and advance in the love and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All glory be to him now and for ever.

And all of us, with faces from which the veil is lifted, seeing, as if reflected in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his likeness, from glory to glory, as it is given by the Lord, the Spirit.

But holding the truth in a spirit of love, we shall grow into complete union with him who is our Head--Christ himself.

Brothers, it is our duty always to thank God about you, as is but right, considering the wonderful growth of your faith, and because, without exception, your love for one another is continually increasing.