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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Keeping your soul: Part 3...Our children


"Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and grandsons."--Deuteronomy 4:9. This is the third and probably one of the most important aspects of this particular verse in Deuteronomy, the fact that we are not only to observe what God has commanded but we also have the responsibility to teach "our sons and grandsons."  In other words we are to teach our children (and grandchildren).

Our children.  Before you continue reading, take a good look at the image above.  A group of children excited about something, wish I knew what.  Maybe they are just excited that somebody was taking their picture and they wanted to make the most of it.  Every time I see a child, I am reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:14 where He tells us that "the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  In fact earlier in this same verse, He specifically states that we are not to hinder them from coming to Him.  All through the pages of Scripture, there is an emphasis on not only keeping the commands of God but teaching them to the next generation.

Our children.  There is a saying that children are the "future of the church."  I disagree with this.  Children are the church of today.  My good friend and brother in Christ, Brett Petrillo said it this way.  Children are the church of today but they are the future leadership.  This could not be more true.  The issue though is if we are not teaching our children and grandchildren to keep the commands of God NOW, they will not grow up to be the leaders the church needs.

Returning to Deuteronomy 4:9, I want to briefly key in on the fact that the verse not only says to teach our children but also our grandchildren.  This means that if you are a grandparent and you are reading this, you too have a responsibility to teach your children's children.

Our children.  As for myself, I am single and do not yet have children of my own.  Speaking to all of you who are like me who might not have children and are thinking this does not apply to you, think again.  I have seen how children look up to older Christians who are not their parents.  For example, there is a couple here at the congregation I attend, the Austin's.  They have great kids.  One thing I have noticed is that their kids have a close relationship with a mutual friend of mine and the Austin's, Dan Keele.  They always give Dan a hug when they see him.  Would they do this if Dan did not have some kind of influence on them? I don't think so.  Furthermore, there are other kids in my life that I have this same relationship with, the Belanger girls (Jessica, Kelsey and Kaitlyn).  Their parents, Shane and Paula are close friends of mine and also brethren in Christ.  As far as my relationship with their daughters and to some extent their baby boy, Joshua.  My prayer is that I might be able to aid them however I can in getting them to heaven to spend eternity with God. My point in all this is those of us who do not have kids still have a responsibility to teach the next generation of Christians.  Why? Well Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  This is the responsibility we ALL have to our children.  Whether we have kids or not, children always look up to older generations of Christians, whether they are their parents or not.

Finally, I want to take a brief look as to why it is absolutely crucial that we fulfill our responsibility to teach our children to keep the commands of God.  First, let's look again at the words of Jesus. In Matthew 18:5-6, Jesus tells us that if we receive a child in His name, we receive Him.  However, Jesus goes on to tell us that "whoever causes one of these little ones" who believe in Him to stumble, it would be better for us to have a millstone hung around our neck and to be drowned in the sea. If that does not emphasize how crucial it is to teach our children, I don't know what is.  But additionally, it may or may not surprise you to know that the very real fact is we are losing our children at alarming rates.  I am not just talking about kids such as the one's pictured above. I am talking about our children that are in High School and college.  It is a sad fact to see that when children graduate High School, they "graduate" the church and never come back.  Why is this? Well we could give any number of reasons but I am willing to bet that much of it has to do with the fact that these children were not taught to keep the commands of God and to rely on His word as they were growing up.  

So when it comes to teaching our children, my encouragement to you is this.  If you have children and/or grandchildren, make it a point to not just read the Bible with them but study the Bible with them and show them why it is important to keep God's Word.  Something I have seen a handful of Christian parents teach their kids is to teach them that their number one goal should be getting to heaven and that their number two goal is taking as many people as they can with them.  I LOVE THIS! :-).  But again, the responsibility falls on our shoulders to make sure we do all we possibly can to make sure they get there.

As far as those of us who do not have kids.  Well every time you see a child at church services, toddler to teenager or even college age, take some time to encourage that person in their walk with God.  Or maybe even see if there is something you can do to help out in the youth ministry at your congregation.  Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:14 "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

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