TEACH YOUR CHILDREN

Prov. 22:6 Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.  NLT

        This verse is well-known by most of us.  We have heard it quoted from the pulpit and taught in the classroom.  We have clung to it when we begin to question our ability as parents because our children make unwise choices in life and when they get older wander away from the church and Christian life.  We stand upon this truth with hope that in time our children will return to the roots of the faith they have been raised in and taught.

        By no means do I want to shake anyone’s confidence as to whether or not their wayward son or daughter will return to the Lord.  I too stand on the assurance that the Lord will draw a wayward child back to Him.

      However, I also know that for many of us there is much frustration when we don’t see it happening.  Our children do make their own choices and have to live with the consequences of their choices.  No son or daughter will ever make it to heaven on the shirttail of our faith.  My concern is that no one will allow their faith to be shaken when we don’t see it happen like we want and expect it to. 

      We must always remember that it is our responsibility to train our children in the faith, to help their understanding of Truth to grow, and to give them every opportunity we can to live it out in their lives.  They will never be able to get away from the foundation of faith we pour into their lives.  They will never have an excuse before God for why they chose to wander away from Him.  The truth will always go with them wherever they go.  The Spirit will constantly remind them of their need to return to the Lord. 

       Our responsibility is to teach with words and deeds how faith works.  We must not shirk our duty to show our children how to live out what we preach at them.  We must give them ample reason to believe that what we preach at them is indeed the real deal.  They may with their minds disregard or deny the truth, but their hearts will always convict them.

        It is our duty to teach and train them so that they can make responsible choices for themselves as they grow older.  Teach them, for when they stand before God someday, they will be held accountable for the choices they make.