BIBLE THOUGHTS FOR TUESDAY

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Being a preacher’s wife I get all kinds of ladies that come to me wanting advice about parenting and raising our children. One statement that I have heard over and over is, “I don’t understand why they are doing (fill in the blank). I raised them in church and in a Christian home.”

Ladies, I’m no expert – and I definitely haven’t done everything right – but I do know that that isn’t enough. Our children need more than just being taken to church and told they live in a Christian home. They need to see your faith in practice each and every day. They need to see faith in ACTION, not just in word.

They also need to be trained to put their own faith into action. Too many times children try to “ride the coattails” of their parents faith – and while that may seem work when they are little, when they get older and begin going through their own trials and temptations they need to know HOW to pray, WHY to pray, and WHERE to turn to during those times.

We won’t always be there to say, “Let’s pray about it,” or “I’ll pray about this for you.” They need to have their own faith to fall back on.

They also need to know that serving the Lord brings great joy. If all they see is the “Woe is me”, “I’m such a martyr”, and the “serving God is so hard” attitude in their home they will look somewhere to find happiness.

Sometimes it is so easy to get so overloaded with the daily cares of our life that we forget to make each day fun. There needs to be love and laughter in our homes and our kids need to be a part of it. Don’t lose your kids to the world because they think it is the only place to turn to have fun and enjoy life. Help them put their own faith in action and learn to:

(1) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

(2) Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

(3) Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

(4) Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

(5) For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalms 100:1-5