(Proverbs 22:6)
I want to give parents out there some encouragement
today. Often we get to a point where we wonder if anything we are doing is
really making a difference. Let me assure you, the most important job God
has given you to do is lay a spiritual foundation in the lives of your
children. I know many of you have been diligent in getting your kids to
church, involving them in activities at church, teaching them at home how to
pray, the importance of the Bible, and talking to them about Jesus. That
great promise in Galatians 6:9 tells us that if we aren't weary in well
doing, we will one day reap. We are so used to this day of instant
gratification, that we may forget that the things of God happen in His
timing and not ours. We may not be able to see the immediate affect in our
kids' lives, and even more disappointing, may watch them actually turn away
from the Lord as they get older.
Can you imagine how disappointed the father in the story of the Prodigal Son must have been, when his own son wanted to get his inheritance and leave
home? This father had the wisdom to know that God gives each of us free
will to make our own decisions, and there will come a time when our children
must make choices for themselves. He also had the faith in God to trust Him
to watch over his son. Lastly though, He put his faith in God's word that
promised him that the spiritual foundation he laid in his son's life would
sustain him in the dark moments of that young man's life. Let me just
interject a personal note here. In my darkest hour, having watched my world
destroyed before my very eyes, and ending up in Federal Prison, it was the
spiritual foundation my parents laid in my life that sustained me, and upon
which I was able to rebuild my life. Moms and dads...it works, I am a living testimony.
The key point today is don't get frustrated, don't get angry at God when
your kids aren't doing what they should, just keep being faithful to lay
that spiritual foundation in their life each day. There is no greater gift
you can give your children. There is nothing you will do for them that will
have a greater impact upon their life. Don't forget, the most important
decision any of us make in this life is about our eternal destination. The
spiritual foundation you lay in the lives of your children gives them the
opportunity to one day make that personal decision to accept Jesus Christ
into their hearts by faith. No one has a greater impact on them than you,
since each day they will make hundreds of decisions. Those decisions are
influenced by their environment, what they are taught, and how they see you
act in your daily life. I will be in prayer for you today to recommit
yourselves today to taking the job God has given you very seriously. THERE
IS NO GREATER JOB HE HAS GIVEN YOU THAN LAYING A SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION IN THE
LIVES OF YOUR CHILDREN.
I love you and care about you so much. I realize that your children are
your life, as they should be. Trust God's Word today, and know that the
efforts you make in raising up your children in the fear and admonition of
the Lord are not in vain. One day, maybe after you have gone on to be with
the Lord, those efforts will bear fruit. As I say often, you cannot
control the actions of another human being. But as parents, you have the
best chance of influencing the lives of your children, planting seeds that
will be there for the rest of their days on this earth. Be diligent about
the work God has given you to do, then pray, trusting God that He will do
the rest. The only one who loves your children more than you do is God
Himself.
