There is another area everyone ought to be concerned about that is even more important then to be sure our children are in school safely. It is their spiritual life. Are they growing in their knowledge of spiritual things? The Word of God teaches us that we are to “Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it,” Proverbs 22:6. We hear so much from individuals who say they are going to let their child make their own decision. What this has done is allowed the world to influence them in the very things that will pull them away from God, the very things they ought not to be doing. Rather, we ought to be showing them the way of God in how we are to worship and serve Him. Today, we want a child to receive a thorough education so they can make a decent living for themselves. But that is only for this temporary life here on earth. Yes, they need to make a living but they also need to be preparing for eternity. As Jesus said, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Matthew 6:20-21. Teaching a child the ways of God will bring more blessings and satisfaction then anything else we might do.
Since, children no longer have the influence of Bible reading and prayer in school it becomes more important for parents to be sure their child is receiving this spiritual education. A congregation can only do so much when they are involved in programs of the Church for only 2 to 4 hours a week and in school about 35 hours every week. When you think about it in these terms it shows how important the parent’s responsibility is to keep their child on the right track. The Israelites were instructed by God in how to do this. We find the answer in Deuteronomy 6:1-9, “These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Even though this passage of Scripture is in the Old Testament and was to the Israelites the principle applies to the Church and parents today. We can learn from it.
A part of the teaching is to bring the child to where they will fear the Lord. The kind of fear we are talking about here is fear that shows respect for who God is, our creator and sustainer, the One who provides for all of our needs. It is honoring God for who He is. That is the starting place. What it illustrates to us is the fact that we are to use every opportunity and every method possible to teach the children who God is. Did you notice that word “impress?” The idea is more than just saying something is true but demonstrating it in our own lives as we serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is to impress upon our children the place that Jesus Christ is to have in our lives. If you thoroughly teach the ways of God to your children then you know that God will have a part in their life. It doesn’t mean they won’t fall away for a period of time. But it is saying that when they are old they will return to the Lord. It all depends on how well they have been grounded in the truth to start with. Let the Lord help you to train them. THINK ABOUT THIS CAREFULLY AND CHOOSE THE PATH WHICH WILL LEAD YOUR CHILDREN TO SPEND ETERNITY IN HEAVEN!!!