While waiting for me in the truck last week, Alicia (my wife) overheard the conversation between four little girls and a little boy. They were all probably about six to eight years old. She heard these girls talking about who their boyfriends were, and then they started talking about who wanted to have sex with whom.
Too often in our society we see children who curse, use drugs, and are sexually active. I am not yet a parent and I do not claim to be an expert on parenting. However, I do know that when there are six and seven year old children talking about whom they want to have sex with, then someone is not doing their job. Someone has not taken seriously the responsibility laid on them when they became a parent. Paul said, "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).
All over this world children are born into families who will not teach them the ways of God. My hope and prayer is that this is not the case for the Lord's church. However, it is true that to often those members of the Lord's body who are parents do not take the time or effort to bring their children up "in the training and admonition of the Lord." It seems that many parents are more concerned about where their children will spend their college years than where their children will spend their eternity. When fathers go to work from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. then watch television till they go to bed, where do we expect the children to learn their values, morals, and religion?
If we leave the teaching up to friends, school teachers, and television then there is no telling what kind of morals our children will have, but this is almost certain, it will not be good. It is time for parents everywhere to take the responsibility given to them, and start being a parent. Children are a far too precious commodity to allow them to be lost because we are not willing to step up to the challenge. Solomon said "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). Parents need to be willing to do whatever it takes to see to it that they train their children in the way of the Lord. It will take time, money, and effort but when those children stand before God on the Day of Judgment as pure and holy, it will be well worth it. Most parents will say "I would give my life for my children," the question is, will you change your life for your children?
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