Train a child in the way he should go. Proverbs 22:6
Babies do not come equipped with knowledge about what is right and wrong. They aren't born knowing who God is and what He is like. Infants do not automatically know Jesus as the one who came to save them from their sins. Babies start with a memory bank that is empty. For them to know, understand, and remember, they must be taught. Teaching, therefore, is essential to the development of a child. And if the right things are to be learned, then the right things must be taught.
Solomon, the wise author of the book of Proverbs, understood this. He knew that if children were to go in a certain way, it was necessary to train them.
We are sometimes led to believe that it is bad to train children biblically. What a lot of nonsense! The fact is that it is impossible not to. If parents don't influence their children, someone else will. The list of other teachers is endless: friends, TV, movie stars, and sports personalities. Someone will teach the growing child. Why not parents?
We have such wonderful things to teach our children: God's love, forgiveness, the Christian life. What a privilege this is!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank You for the children You have created. Help us to be faithful Christian teachers; for Jesus' sake. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 39-40 Mark 4:21-41
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