Pastors Devotion
THIS WEEK'S THOUGHT
MY HOW TIME FLIES!
As all proud grandparents are, I'm amazed at our tiny and beautiful granddaughter. Just think, just a few short months ago she wasn't, and yet now she's here and very much alive. It just seems like a few years ago when we were bringing her father home from the hospital, wrapped in a new blanket and our love. Now, he has a little bundle of joy to care for himself. We all have such dreams for our kids. We want the very best for them. We do our best to train and teach them right from wrong; good from bad; godly from ungodly. We all wonder if we're "doing it right" as parents. And, we pray - a lot. We sometimes worry. We hope. We struggle with them when they do. We get angry when it seems as if they're not trying to obey or learn. We beam with parental pride when they accomplish a difficult task, show off some heretofore hidden talent, or when they begin to show signs of long-cherished family traits. All these are part of the growing up process for both of us - parents and children alike. There's another part of that maturation process that can be easily overlooked. While we are busy instilling in them the correct values for living and guiding them in what it means to be a member of our particular family clans, don't forget to include them in the spiritual discipline of evangelism. Even saying that sounds peculiar, doesn't it? It's every Christian's responsibility to share Jesus and God's plan of salvation with everyone in our circles of influence. Proverbs 22:6 says: "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." That's so important for us to remember. After all, we learn things so much easier when we're young. And, those things leave a deeper imprint on our lives, too. If our world is going to be reached for Christ, the desire to see others saved must be infused in the minds and hearts of all who love the Lord. The best and most effective time for that infusion to take place is as they are growing up. Children are often more open to the gospel than are adults. In fact, the statistics prove the vast majority of people get saved before their 18th birthday. Wouldn't it be wonderful to beam with pride as we hear our children tell stories of how their friends came to Christ because their witness? Building into them a desire to share Christ is also a safe-guard for them as well. You know full well that temptations are out there and many a young person falls into serious trouble as their hormones begin to rage. Having started them on the path as a soul-winner builds another layer of insulation that will help them deal with the inevitable onset of emotions that is headed their way. The most committed person isn't the one who merely hears and receives the truth, but the one who leads others into the truth. Why not build that level of commitment into your child by training them in soul-winning? Naturally, this means as parents we have to become involved in sharing our faith with others before we can teach that to our kids. Again, John Maxwell's statement can be hauntingly disturbing to us: "You teach what you know, but you reproduce what you are." If we want our children to be the strongest Christians possible, their training begins in us as their parents. I heard a statement several years ago that lit a fire underneath me as a parent. It simply said: "What one generation tolerates, the next accepts as normal." We have a profound impact of the values of the next generation. Let's build into them a purpose more important than getting a good education, finding a suitable partner in life or making lots of money. Let's create an environment in our homes to won't tolerate a single person we know going into eternity without first having heard the gospel from us. What an amazing difference that would make as the next generation sees sharing their faith with others as normal Christianity!