The Bible Column - Training Children in God's way
“We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he has done.” Psalms 78:4 This Scripture tells of the way in which children can best learn of the wonders of the Lord.
Additional verses in this passage speak also of the need for parents to tell and train their children in the right ways of the Lord. In verses 5 and 6 we learn that unto the fourth generation parents need to tell of the Lord.
As the context of this Scripture continues to verses 7 and 8, the Bible tells us the reason why the children need to hear of the Lord… “That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.”
It is a fact of statistic that the likelihood of individuals turning to the Lord in their lives, greatly diminishes as they progress from childhood into adulthood and unto older age. As a result, Christian parents bare the great privilege and responsibility of training up a child in the way that they should go, so that when they are old they will not depart from it. It has been said that if in this life only we benefit from living for the Lord, it is well worth it, because of the manifold blessings that the Lord gives his children.
Two types of life are possible for each of us. One, a life of living for the Lord, telling of his praises, his strength, and his wonderful works, or two, a life of forgetting the works of God and not keeping his commandments, being stubborn and rebellious, not having hearts set aright before God! Which of these describes you as you read today? I trust that you can truly say that you are doing your best to live for the Lord today.
For time and eternity, the Bible way is by far the best way. The Lord’s help is available to each of us. How about your life today, dear reading friend?
