That they should teach them to their children, That the
generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise
and tell them to their children, commandments, That they should put their
confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,
And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A
generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to
God. Psalms 78:6-8
There
is no greater heritage we can give our children and grandchildren than a solid
faith in God. Money will easily fail them. There are some problems no amount of
money can solve. The economy may fail them, their friends may even fail them; but
God will not fail them. And, if they
know what He has done in the past, if they know how powerful He is and how
willing He is to intervene in their lives, then they can live with an abiding
peace and joy confident in God’s goodness. They can take their problems to God in prayer
and get help. It is up to us to teach them the great truths about God.
1. The Goodness of the Lord. Our kids need to hear the Bible
stories that talk about God’s faithfulness to His people. But they also need to
hear our stories about how God has been faithful to us personally. It is a wonderful thing if we can tell our
kids stories about His faithfulness to our parents and their parents. They need to walk through life experiences
with us and experience the faithfulness of God themselves. Life is the greatest teaching opportunity
there is. What must our kids know? They
must know about the goodness and the greatness and the faithfulness of the Lord
our God.
2.
The Absolute Truth of God. Life is to be lived in the boundaries of
God's commandments. Every child should know the Ten Commandments as a
foundation for good decisions in life. When the world robs kids of biblical
absolutes it robs them of their security and direction in life. Some principles
are absolute because they come from an absolute God--one who never changes; one
who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. There are so many false ideas about God
circulating today that it is most difficult for a child or even an adult
unschooled in the things of the faith to know for sure what to believe except
someone they trust tell them.
I
do not want the major part of the theological instruction of my children to be
the responsibility of anyone but myself.
The passing on of the responsibility for the theological instruction of
our children to organized religion and other vocational ministry has taken the
work but not the responsibility from the parent. As a parent I realize there is a responsibility
to teach as well as a responsibility to live that teaching in example.
What have you shared with your children about God's activity
in your life? It may be that they are
merely mimicking the example that you are displaying in their religious life. They
may hear it from the Sunday school teacher but they learn it from the parents.
The knowledge of God that has been
passed down to us has been accurate in both theology and practice. What will we pass on to those behind us?
Scripture to
Claim:
O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still
declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not
forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all
who are to come. Psalm 71:17-18
