Saturday, June 2, 2018 - Who Will Save Our Children?
Parents desire for their children to be healthy, happy, safe and provided every opportunity to be prosperous. Unfortunately, in many cases, the emphasis on this "well rounded" existence begins and ends with a focus solely on secular success. Who and what you become in this life, by the world's benchmarks, establishes whether your life was a "success."
That is complete nonsense and certainly has no foundation in scripture!
1 Kings 2:1-3 (NKJV) - Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn..." While we do not know, with certainty, who the author of 1 Kings was (traditionally, Jeremiah is considered by many Bible scholars as the author of the Books of Kings) it does not matter for we know the words were given by inspiration of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Obeying, walking with and serving the Lord allows us to prosper in the only aspect of life that matters: Spiritually!
Our children are bombarded, on a daily basis, with false directives on how to live successfully which, many times in order to do so, require succumbing to works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). In succumbing, regardless the secular success, they will lose the most valuable item they will ever possess, their soul. How do we save our children from this fate? We can't "save" them. That only comes from obedience and a washing in the blood of Jesus Christ (baptism). However, we CAN and MUST "train up a child in the way he should go..." which MUST start at home and be reinforced in bible classes they attend.
Beginning tomorrow, June 3, the junior and senior high students at the congregation my wife and I attend, will begin a study on "Morality: Choosing God" which will deal with the various works of the flesh which they are faced with and told "it's OK" to participate.
Again, that ideology is not based in scripture. Read Galatians 5:16-26 carefully:
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
This scripture, along with so many others, stipulate that if you want to be successful in the only area of life that matters, spiritually, choose God! Each week I will be posting the lessons here, and on my website, in hopes that they will benefit you, your children and grandchildren.