Don’t let your babies to grow up to be scumbags

I spent some quality time talking to the youngest of four brothers who sang as a quartet in our Christmas pageant the other day. These young men were really good and he told me that they had been singing together since they were very young and in fact their larger, extended family members were all musically inclined and sang and played instruments of all varieties. He told me that he enjoyed it very much especially being a part of helping to lead people to the Lord. (We had just received news that some forty people had dedicated their lives to the Lord at the pageant shortly before we spoke and he was very excited about it.)

I told him that his parents must be very proud of them for serving the Lord in such a manner and he affirmed that indeed they were very proud of them and enjoyed watching them perform at churches and events like our Christmas Pageant and listening to them very much.

I think it is every Christian parent’s dream that they live long enough to see their children serve the Lord in some capacity. Years are spent in training a child up and when they leave the homestead we hope that they will serve the Lord and serve Him well. We try to teach them to always put God first in their lives, to obey God in every way possible including even tithing and certainly having compassion for others, and to use their God given talents to further the work of Christ be it teaching in Sunday School, playing in the church orchestra, or singing in the choir, or witnessing to and leading their friends and acquaintances to the Lord or complete strangers.

I also pray that they will bring their own kids up in a Godly home in a Christian atmosphere and let them learn about the benefits of Godly living by example; (the best teacher of all). I was well pleased to watch my little twin granddaughters bow their little heads and say grace and pray the other day. It was very amusing to see them clasp their little hands together and then watch them shut their eyes and rock their heads back and forth in rhythm to the prayer that they recited. It reminded me of someone being in a trance. I was also delighted and elated to hear from my oldest son that all three of his children had accepted Christ as their Savior and would all be baptized together in a week or two. It is my sincere hope that they will spend their entire lives serving the Lord.

How terrible it must be to watch our children go astray from the Lord. Work hard on them while you have them with you and have a chance to provide some measure of influence; most of all pray to almighty God for their souls. Study God’s method of raising children; Proverbs is a good place to begin. The advice below should be the foundation for raising children; (or anything else).

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your
heart.
And lean not on your own
understanding .
In all of your ways acknowledge
Him, and He shall direct your
paths.