ICS Daily Devotions
Parents, Train Up a Child in the Way He Should Go

God who is a merciful and compassionate God will always build a hedge around us. We must not decide to walk away or walk out of God’s protection by willfully living a life independent of God. That’s sin. The devil will attack us when we forsake God, backslide, and sin against God. It is when someone intentionally walks out of the sheepfold and away from the Shepherd’s protection that he is prone to attacks.

We need to model our walk with God to our children in the area of our devotion and lifestyle.

We need to remember that God has children but He doesn’t have grandchildren! It means our children have to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior personally! We need to inculcate not just the knowledge of God but also the walk with God to our children. We need to model for them what it means to walk with God. It has to do with training.

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

There is a constant struggle between the lure of the world and the need for them to walk with God. The world is constantly vying for their attention and conforming them to the pattern of the world. Social media is a very powerful voice in the lives of our children and the kind of liberal educational system is also forming their values. We cannot take it for granted that our children will get to know the Lord eventually. Therefore, as parents we should put top priority in getting our children to walk in the truth above all other activities. In order to do that we must not treat Christianity as a religion with a set of laws but a walk of faith with God. Eternal life is in FOLLOWING God and not just knowing OF God.

2 John 1:4 (NKJV) I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.

We are to encourage our children to walk with God just like the Apostle Paul asked the people to follow him as he followed Christ.

It is when they are not walking with the Lord and do not have a reverential fear of God that they get into trouble. Therefore, praying as a family, rejoicing over answered prayer and journeying with them are important. They should be able to witness the work of God in our lives. The transformation that they witnessed in our lives after we have received Christ will impact them greatly especially when they experience peace, love and stability in the home!

There is no greater joy than when we discover that our children are passionate about God. We should not be concerned when our children are overzealous for God because it is better to “trim wild fire than no fire” for God. We know that God has built a hedge around us therefore don’t allow your children to walk or stray away from God! Encourage them to stay in the sheepfold so that the Chief Shepherd Jesus Christ is able to protect them!

Sermon Series: Job and I