When I was a child in Sunday school, I always wondered what went wrong? We would read about Adam and Eve, the way they walked with God in the garden. But in a few generations, people were so evil, God chose to flood the earth and start over.
Then Noah and his three sons and daughters-in-law were saved on the ark. They saw God’s judgment and God’s amazing deliverance. They saw animals come in pairs from the ends of the earth—what a miracle! All six of them were believers. But in a few generations, the world was again filled with evil.
What happened?
What went wrong?
After God delivered Israel from Egypt, the people made a lot of mistakes. But those who entered the Promised Land with Joshua were faithful. After Joshua’s death, the nation remained faithful while the elders who had known Joshua were alive. But once all those who had witnessed God’s miracles had died, the nation fell away—AGAIN.
“That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works He had done for Israel. The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. They worshipped the Baals and abandoned the Lord…. They infuriated the Lord…. [And] He handed them over to marauders” Judges 2:10-12,14.
How can that happen? How can a younger generation grow up and not follow God?
Again, what went wrong?
I have been thinking about this my whole life. I ask myself, what can I do, to make sure my children do not fall away from God?
What is the answer? Of course, kids and grandkids make their own choices. They live their own lives.
Given the numerous Biblical examples of children of godly parents who go astray–we must not blame parents for the choices of their children.
But is there something more I can do? I want my kids to be faithful. I want to spare them the heartache of a life apart from God. I want those who come behind me to love God and obey Him and follow His word—to read it, study it, memorize it, and submit themselves to its authority.
So what is the secret? What can a father do to ensure his children are faithful disciples of Christ?
This is a tough question and I’m not sure there is a clear answer. Here are my thoughts:
First, children learn by what they see. They need to see their parents not merely talking about faith, but living it, day-in and day-out. Children can sniff out the hypocrisy of fake religion quicker than anyone, and they will not learn discipleship from parents who are not actively living as disciples: reading and studying the word, talking about the word, engaged in a real and active prayer life, worshipping with other believers and sharing and talking about their faith in an honest and vulnerable way.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but parents who are committed disciples of Christ, studying His word and struggling to apply it, should be transformed by the word of God into what else? Good parents. That is, a parent’s walk with Christ should transform him or her into a person of compassion, kindness, patience, cheerfulness, encouragement, wisdom, and more. To put it another way, godly parents should not be dour, unpleasant, hyper-zealous rule-enforcers, but loving, encouraging people who nurture children wisely and prepare them well for the demands of adult life.
Finally, children should be able to demand total integrity from their parents. We should be honest in all our dealings, whether a tax return, a speeding ticket, a purchase at a bait shop, or at a car dealership.
Discipleship is CAUGHT not TAUGHT. Parents have to live it more than they talk about it.
Second, Parents must be praying for their children. Make a written prayer list. Pray hard. Pray often. Pray for them long after they move out of the house. Prayer will make a difference.
“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6.
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