As Christians we are familiar with Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it". We know that the Bible tells us that it is our responsibility to raise our children to know God and His ways. We often quote this verse as our children grow up and stray from their childhood faith. We know that we want to raise our children to know and love God and when they don't we hold onto the hope that they will someday return to God and serve him once again later in their lives.
The question is are we really doing this, are we really teaching them the ways of the Lord? If we are trying to raise our children in the church are we doing an adequate job of teaching them God's ways so that they will grow up and live lives of character following Jesus? We can not deceive ourselves with the belief that taking our kids to church is enough. Even sending them to "Christian schools" is not enough. I can try as a Bible teacher in a Christian school to teach your kids about God, but it is not enough. The main responsibility for training a child in the ways of the Lord belongs within the family. We need to stop hoping that someone else will do our job for us. Stop making excuses for why we can not do it ourselves and start creating a culture where the word of God has first place in our families.
In a couple of days I will write on creating a culture where the word of God has priority in our homes within our families. God has a lot to say about how important His word is in our lives and the fact that we need to do more than simply read it and forget it. We have to meditate or think about and remember what the word of God says day by day.
This is so true. We have to set an example with our lives. They need to see us seek God in the good and the bad that comes our way. He is not just our redeemer, but also our rock.