Train Them Up In The Way To Go
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Train up your children in the way to go. (Proverbs 22:6)
Just what are we teaching our children? I can’t say that I provided for my children spiritual needs in the beginning because my own hadn’t been thoroughly provided for. I tried to teach them right from wrong. Wait a minute: How would we know right from wrong if we aren’t on the narrow road? (Jeremiah 10:23) When we are taught by the world, we really don’t have a sense of what’s truly right and wrong. Yeah, we know it’s wrong to do certain things, but we can do what we think is “good”, but our good and Jehovah God’s good don’t quite match. (Proverbs 16:2)
When we birth our children, we desire the best quality of life for them. We desire for them to have a happy, healthy, fulfilling life. We desire for them to be reared in a nice home and neighborhood, go to good quality schools, participate in extracurricular activities, have fun, graduate from high school, go to college (or gain sustainable income)…We aim for them to have a fruitful life.
“Fruitful life”…hmm…the description above of a fruitful life sounds all good, right? Just how much of that “fruitful life” includes our Heavenly Father? The busyness of life distracts us and we tend to allot Jehovah very little (if any)of our time. Our priorities are set on life (work, love, materials, dinero, etc) Of course, there are people who attend church most Sundays, but still the question remains: “Is Jehovah the priority in our lives?” People tend to do God on Sundays for a hour or so and then back to the regular scheduled program. They may do weekly Bible study and then it’s back to the regular scheduled program. They pray, yes. But, what’s missing?
In my childhood, I was taught about Jehovah. Was I educated about Him? No. Did we go to church? Occassionally. Did we have family bible study? No. (2 Timothy 3:16) What if we had attended Sunday service most Sundays, would I have been better educated about Jehovah? No. My mom attended church most Sundays in her early life. My grandmother attended church most Sundays as well. They taught us what they were taught (I come to learn far later it wasn’t enough). Why wasn’t it enough? Something was missing. There was something they weren’t receiving in their Sunday service that’s why they couldn’t provide us the proper nutrition. There is something most people are missing in their Sunday service.
In 2 Timothy 3:16, we’ll find the missing link. Once you read and discover that missing link I know it will spark confusion as to what I’m implying. Yes, most churches are bible-based, but like some supplements, they’re not complete. Sometimes we’re not given exactly what we need. There are people who have attended Sunday service most Sundays for decades and haven’t ever been provided the key essentials. Why is this? Because there are scriptures that people avoid as someone with a contagious ailment. There are spiritual leaders who don’t provide them with these key essentials based upon how they feel the people will react to it. For example: When I was younger, I viewed no premarital sex as a standard of some religions. Why? Because the world didn’t seem to have a problem with it. It wasn’t being taught that we shouldn’t. Birth control was available…condoms were being issued…So, it was considered the norm. If I had been taught that premarital sex shouldn’t be, I would have received the needed supplement. The standards aren’t based upon religion–>It’s God’s word (and we have to teach our children this). One spiritual leader says, he tried to advise a couple that they shouldn’t partake into premarital sex until they are married. Their response–“That’s old-fokey.” That pastor did his part to advise them; it’s their choice as to what they decide. When we solely rely on spiritual leaders to guide us, we find we’re spiritually deficient. When certain scriptures are avoided, people miss out on vital nutrition. That’s why it’s so important to read the Bible for yourself. Your spiritual leader has the responsibility to lead his flock and provide proper nutrition, but it’s also each person’s responsibility to prepare their own spiritual meals. The Bible is your guide; Jehovah didn’t leave us empty handed.
As adults, that’s why it is so vital to carve out time to personally study the Bible. Your eyes will meet all of God’s word and not just the cherries. You’ll have the full story instead of pieces. You’ll be able to find the truth, so you’ll be able to measure it against the world’s view and make a decision. You’ll be able to know more than, “God is good” and see how He showed up in the lives of the biblical people. You’ll lay eyes upon the avoided scriptures. When we receive the organic daily bread, we can thoroughly pass it along to our offspring.
As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that our children receives the word. It’s more than Sunday service or mid week Bible study, bowing our heads to pray, and being kind–Being a Christian is living for God. In order to know how to live for God, we must learn what pleases Him. The Bible is the primary source of that education. Knowing God is more than going to church weekly. We must learn who He is and His standards. If we have no idea how we’re suppose to live, then how can we nurture our children early on? God is more than a religion. When we are spiritually trained, we’ll view God as the Almighty and not as a religion. When you are properly spiritually trained, you’ll begin to fear God. You’ll develop a respect for Him. You’ll thirst for His word. Your eyes will become open. When your eyes are open, you can properly train up your offspring.
Just because we have been taught a certain way for centuries, doesn’t mean it’s right. Each one of us will have to be judged. I cannot stand for my children and my mother cannot stand for me. But as for me and my house, I prepare the daily bread whether they listen or not…whether they choose to absorb the nutrients or not. It’s my responsibility as a parent to teach my children now so that they receive the fundamentals. It’s their choice to apply them or not. Introducing them to Jehovah outweighs any monetary gift I could ever gift them with.
Stay Blessed
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