Train Up A Child
- William Vogel
- Dec 17, 2018
- 3 min read
Proverbs 22:5 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” To talk about children, we can not leave out the word family. God uses imperfect people with imperfect lives to advance His plans for training the next generation. Have you given any thought as to why God gave you your children and what life is on this earth is all about? You shall be gone and leaving a legacy and then in due time, they are gone too and the legacy continues. What we see today in our world is a result of the priorities and beliefs of past generations. This world can be bazaar and very dark, but the light of our world today and everyday is Jesus. We need to tell the world that the day is coming soon when everyone will bow before Him and the world will be divided as never before. Heaven? Hell? For eternity... God’s plan for raising children can be found in Deuteronomy 6:5-6 “Hear oh Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (strength). And These Words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, ....You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates.” The Hebrew Shema became the daily prayer of the ancient people of Jesus’s heritage. To this day, it is one of the most important prayers of the Jewish people. Children must know there is only one God, and they must put Him above all other things. We must teach them to never take lightly God’s love for them. From this will spring hope and comfort even in their deepest hours of darkness; and we all know darkness is a part of our world. We must teach them obedience and God’s desires for them to be successful in their journey. This is vital to teach our children and grandchildren. So many young people today are looking for hope and meaning in so many places that harm and destroy them, and in fact teenage suicide has reached epidemic levels. Young people are turning to drugs and alcohol in record numbers. There is no worse pain for a father and mother than when your children turn away from family and turn to addictions and make very bad choices. I think the most painful thought for any parent is separation for eternity. Insulate and inoculate early in life with the Word of God so they always know the answer when they are looking for it. Show your children you truly love them by living and teaching these principles to them. The temptation is to think we can just teaching morals and goodness to our children will be good enough. Why God and Jesus His Son? Because only the eternal can help them navigate through this life and reach the best life to come. “There is no greater discovery than seeing God as the Author of your destiny.” Ravi Zacheraris