“…if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children that believe, who are not accused of riot or unruly.” Titus 1:6 (ASV)
How sad to watch little children with their parents involved in rioting and looting so often on TV. How confused those little children must be!
How are our children handling the civil unrest in our society? How are parents guiding them through one crisis after another in our present-day culture? The church and home must be steadfast in providing guidance by using God’s Word to provide a foundation of certainty for children. We must make sure that children are grounded in the Word and that they understand that it is true in all circumstances. The truth that God says what He means and means what He says needs to be ingrained in children. By doing so, we are giving them the security of unwavering guidelines for life’s decisions.
Scripture memorization is very important. In recent years in both home and church, there seems to be an abandonment of memorization requirements for our children. Selected Scriptures that directly apply to instruction for living seem to have been forgotten. Often, it would seem, that by the time a Bible story is told in Sunday School, the time is over and little instruction is given to apply new learnings to life. Wise teachers will find a way to include some of the Proverbs and instruction given by the apostle Paul for behavior.
Many philosophies seem to teach that truth changes according to situations. Rules can be broken in favor of compassion to people. Many view this as a sympathetic act. Instead of simply looking at an action and declaring it wrong or right, the tendency is to look into the background of the person committing the act and declare the act as justified. This is not Biblical. God’s commandments do not include the words “unless” or “only if.” His commandments are not optional. They are to be adhered to at all times. Well-meaning adults often hesitate to correct children for fear of hurting their feelings. They do not realize that the hurt will be much greater in the future when the children make mistakes due to the lack of knowing what they did was wrong.
Respect for the Bible needs to be instilled in children. When children learn respect for God’s Word and His church, respect for authority in other areas will be automatic. We owe children more than a fuzzy idea of what God expects of them. We owe them an upbringing in church and home that leaves no doubt in their minds as to what is right and what is wrong. The riots, looting, wars, angry words and arguments leave many unanswered questions in the minds of our children. It is left to the home and church to clear up these questions. We can best do this by teaching God’s Word that applies to children as well as to adults. He expects us to do our best at any age to show our love to Him and our neighbors.
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