You, your child, and God

  You, your child and God

In the book of Proverbs we read,

“Train a child in the way he should go, 

and when he is old he will not turn from it.” 

                                                         Proverbs 22:6.

If you consider yourself a true Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus. Are you teaching your child to follow Christ?

By that I don’t mean forcing your faith on your child. When someone does this it has been my experience that the child will rebel and turn away from God.

Training a child in the way they should go is a combination of things. First and foremost is living your faith in front of them. Your child sees everything you are doing. As a result if you are not living what you are teaching them verbally, they wont believe a word you say about your faith.

Thus the question becomes; Are you teaching your child about Christ Jesus in word and in deed?

Please think about it.

Love the Lord your God

Love the Lord your God
In the book of Deuteronomy we read,
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-7.
Jesus when asked,
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40.
So my first question to you if you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus is; Do you truly “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind?”
My second question is; Do you “love your neighbour as yourself?”
My third question do you impress the importance of your faith on your children?
Please think about it.

Train up

Train ups
Matthews Gospel records,
“Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:13, 14.
It has been said Christianity is just one generation from extinction. People are not born Christian. Even if someone goes to church all their life dose not mean that they are Christian.
   Each individual when they are old enough and mature enough must decide for themselves if they wish to follow Christ.
That being said it is imperative that we as believers in Christ Jesus bring our children up to know God in a personal way.
Scripture tells us,

“Train a child in the way he should go, 

and when he is old he will not turn from it.” 

                                               Proverbs 22:6.

Notice scripture tells us to “train up a child in the way he should go” NOT force our faith on the Child. We must present our faith to our children not only in word but in deed also.
You cannot force your children or anyone into becoming a follower of Christ Jesus. Ultimately it is a decision of faith between the individual and God.
We can and must however live our faith as they say 24/7 in front of our children and those around us.
Francis of Assisi wrote,

“The deeds you do may be the only sermon 

some persons will hear today” 

                                          Francis of Assisi.

We, whether we like it our not are preaching a sermon every minute of every day to our children. If our lives are not reflecting Christian values our children and those around us will see this and turn away from God.
Thus the questions become.
How are you living your life?
Is your life reflecting the love of God, the attributes of Christ Jesus?
Please think about it. 

Belongs to Them

Belongs to them,
Matthew’s gospel tells us,
“Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  
When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Matthew 19:13-15.
Here the people brought their children for Jesus to bless. Those who did this were most likely believers in God. They seen in Jesus at the very least a man of God and desired to have him bless their children.
I firmly believe it is incumbent on every person who believes in Christ, who believe in God the creator of heaven and earth, to bring up their children in their faith. The book of proverbs tells us.

“Train a child in the way he should go,

 and when he is old he will not turn from it.” 

Proverbs 22:6.

The book of Deuteronomy states,

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  

These commandments that I give you today 

are to be upon your hearts.  

Impress them on your children. 

Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, 

when you lie down and when you get up.  

Tie them as symbols on your hands 

and bind them on your foreheads.  

Write them on the doorframes of your houses 

and on your gates. 

                                                                                    Deuteronomy 6:5-9.
As Christians we must live our faith in full view of our Children.
Joshua Loth Liebman wrote,
“Give your children unconditional love, a love that is not dependent on report cards, clean hands, or popularity.
  Give your children a sense of your whole-hearted acceptance, acceptance of their human frailties as well as their abilities and virtues.  
Give your children your permission to grow up to make their own lives independent of you.  
Give them a sense of truth; make them aware of themselves as citizens of a universe in which there are many obstacles as well as fulfilments.  
Bestow upon your child the blessings of your faith.  
These are the laws of honouring your son and your daughter.  Out of these laws will be built the Declaration of Independence for the coming generation, a spiritual and emotional independence that, in turn, will make the world free, democratic, safe, creative”.  Joshua Loth Liebman.
Please think about it.