INTRODUCTION: Faith in our God is only one generation away from becoming extinct (Judg 2:10-12, "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God..."). Regardless of how strong your faith is or how much you may love and serve the Lord, you can't believe for our children. Our children must develop their own walk with the Lord. Parents have the responsibility to "train up the child in the way he should go" thereby helping them take their first steps of faith. Moses urged the Israelites to teach the word to the children, (Deut.6:7-9, 4:9-10, 11:19) The following principle, which are suggested by Moses to teach young people, are useful to believers today: 1. KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. We must know the Word of God for ourself before we can pass it on to our children. Moses wanted his people to be known as a "wise and understanding people" (4:6) so he instructed them: not to add anything to the words of the Law (4:2) to speak from experience by putting the commandments into practice (4:5-6) not to forget any of the things that God had said or done for them in the past (4:9) not to forget the Lord or substitute anything or anyone for Him (4:15-19, 23-24) This is the challenge to parents today to gain a firsthand knowledge of the Lord and what God has said by studying and reading the Bible for ourselves. Children don't want secondhand information. (Like father, like son) 2. CULTIVATE YOUR OWN FAITH Moses told the people to have personal contact with God (6:1-9) He told them: to fear the Lord all the days of their lives (6:2) to love the Lord with all their being--heart, soul, and strength (6:5) to establish habits and strategies for recalling and retelling the stories of God's dealings in their own lives.(6:7-9) to live lives of gratitude, remembering that all they had were gifts from God, not the results of their own efforts (6:10-11) Parents cannot give to their children a faith that they themselves do not possess. It's one thing to talk about your faith; it's another thing to speak to the issues of life out of a personal relationship with the living God 3. TEACH BY EXAMPLE Moses urged the Israelites to practice the Law so that their children could see it in action, not just hear it recited (10:12-13; 11:1-2, 7-8) He reminded them: to live with the perspective that God owns everything (10:14) to maintain a commitment to integrity (10:17-18 to worship the Lord regularly through fasting, praise and remembrance (10:20-22 that it was they, the parents, who needed to acknowledge the Lord in all of life (11:2) to keep a singular focus on the Lord and avoid other loyalties, especially to idols (11:13, 16) to talk about truths of God during the day-to-day activities of life (11:19-20) Children quickly see through empty religious practices. They know instinctively what their parents believe and where their loyalties lie. Thus parents today have the same need to model Christlikeness before their children if they want to see their children take any interest in the things of the Lord. One of the main reasons our society is in the shape it is in is because parents are failing in their responsibility to their children. If faith, faithfullness, prayer, dependance on the Lord is not practiced in the home, the children see our true moral and social values and that is what they apply in their own lives. It's time we get back to the basics and instruct our children by example. It is asked in the scriptures, "...Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?". WHAT DO YOU THINK? HOME|BACK