Our relationship with God must be the most important thing in our lives, and our relationship with our family must be close behind.

Psalm 127:1-2 speaks about the early years of the family. This is the time when a young man and a young woman join their lives together, and live in an intimate relationship with their partner. God’s Word says:unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.

- Children are called a “Gift from God” and a blessing. (verse 5)

- As James 1:17 says: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.”

- They are not burdens - we need to treasure our children.

- According to Genesis 33:5, Genesis 48:9, and Psalm 127:3: children are a heritage from the Lord!

- God gave the parents the responsibility to direct the children.

- Here God compares our children to an arrow. We must try to make them as arrows in the hands of the warrior.

- The arrows suggest:

1. Arrows need to be Polished

They need to be polished and honed into the arrows God intends for them.

How do you polish your arrow? You work hard on it. You do your best to pull off the leaves, smooth down the snags, and straighten the bends.

2. Arrows need to be Pointed

Discipline is needed. Proverbs 13:24, “He who spares the rod hates his son."

Discipline is totally focused on the future.

3. Arrows need to be Propelled

At some point, you’ve got to release. It begins slowly.

Our lifetimes are spent learning to release our children.

Parents start releasing their children the moment from birth.

Where are you aiming your kids? Our goal should be to release them into a personal responsibility to God.

Maybe one of the toughest things is releasing to let them make their own mistakes

Illustration - It’s like the father of the prodigal son in Luke.

- Notice how he ends: “They (your children) shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies at the gate.”

- Hall of Fame Baseball player Gary Carter's speech reflects the emphases of Psalm 127: children are a blessing.

- A father who has his quiver full of polished, pointed and propelled arrows and is ready to send them into the heart of the enemy will not be ashamed.

- David Livingstone wrote to a friend: "I hope you are playing and spending time with your children." He states in looking back, "I have one regret and that is that I did not feel it my duty to play with my children as much as to teach the natives. I worked very hard at that, and was tired at night. Now I have none to play with."

The advise is this: no matter which stage of life you are in, allow God to be the center around which your family life revolves. At the outset of your married life make God, not success, your top priority.