Raising The Next Generation!
By Abraham Israel
I know every godly man and woman of God will desire for their children to walk with God and be used greatly of Him. But there are some parents who will want the world and also some spirituality for their children. They say to their children to not to get too spiritual because they fear that their children might go penniless by taking the path of the Cross. But hear what the king David have experientially seen through His God devoted sold out life for God, "25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed." (Psa 37:25-26). In other words, a righteous person who had lived a sold out devoted life for God and His kingdom have been so blessed by God that not even in one instance there has ever been a time where their children have ever been found begging for daily sustenance or have been found without the special blessings and favor of God over their lives.
But I have found consistently the children who grow in worldliness because of a pull towards it in their parents life, they have completely lost their life in sorrow and despair in their later period of life. All I think at those times are, "How foolish these parents have been in thinking that their children should not get too spiritual?"
Jesus hit the nail in the coffin of those who think that they can have the best of both the worlds by saying, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Luke 16:13). Either we are devoted to God wholly and teach our children to do the same, or else we accept that we are devoted to money as there is no inbetween category who can have the both. If we are devoted to money, our time given to bear fruit for the Lord will be lost for eterntiy ahead. And also we will pierce ourselves with many sorrows after we have destroyed the life of ourselves and the generation after us (1 Tim 6:9-10). Some people who think that they can feed their children some wordly wisdom to go after money and also for security reasons have reverance for God in a religious way. God is looking to have relationship with His people and is not looking for the so called reverence and pious outward actions of religious nuts (Mat 23:28).
When Jesus was on the earth doing His ministry, he did not rebuke the sinners for breaking God's law as they already were seeking Jesus to receive the mercy of God for relief from their sinful bondages, but he rebuked the Pharisees who were the religious nuts who always tried to act as though they were spiritual and need no instruction from God Himself (Matt 21:31-32). Their hearts were filled with love of money and so they turned up their nose to deride Jesus when He spoke about hating money to love God whole heartedly (Luke 16:14-15). These same Pharisees not only destroyed their own lives but also of the lives of their children who became completely lost in spiritual darkness (Matt 23:29-32). Never forget that the recurrence of all the wrong attitudes with which you walk and humble not before God will end up destroying your children in the next generation (Prov 20:7; Psa 37:28).
These same wordly wise parents have cried and confessed at the time of reaping fleshly fruit from the next generation, that they have failed in their God given duty to raise their children in a godly way for the Lord's use. But it was too late. Anything that is not wholly given to the Lord will become of no use to anyone as time passes by. If we choose to train our children in the way of the Lord, when they become old they will not depart from it (Prov 22:6). So as much as we the parents of the children desire to commit our life wholly to God, that much God will begin to use our children when they grow up (Psa 37:5). The children will be the reflection of their parents attitude. If the parents cleanses themselves for the Lord and the give themselves wholeheartedly for extention of His kingdom on earth, the children will also grow up to love the Lord in their lives and serve the Lord in a more glorious manner (2 Tim 2:21; 2 Cor 7:1).
So what are you valuing in your life as a parent of a child. Ask yourself these hard question for yours and your children's benefit, "Is the Kingdom of God and walking in His righteous way the prime priority in my life (Matt 6:33)? Am I wrongly thinking that my children can have the best of the both worlds which God hates (Rev 3:16)? Have I been loving my children above my Lord Jesus and fail to take up the cross of Jesus and follow His self-denying footsteps (Matt 10:37-38)? Have I been a godly example to my children who are seeing me as their prime example to follow? Am I taking the time to encourage them to walk in the Lord, spending the money to promote godliness, helping my children to meditate on the word through training them, conducting daily family prayers and making them accountable to walk in the way of the Lord?"
If you have failed in any of these things, now humble yourself before the Lord and say, "Dear Lord Jesus, I want to live for you and love you with all my heart. I understand that I am the only example that my childrens will see in understanding your love and righteousness towards them. So help me walk in your way and also train my children in your way of righteousness. May my heart desire be cleansed once again to seek your kingdom and your righteousness alone, and help me be an ambassador in the extension of your kingdom. May I be serving you and not money all the days of my life. All my childrens are yours and I believe that you will teach them personally and because of it they shall have great peace in their lives (Isa 54:13). Use them for your glory, in JESUS name I pray. Amen and Amen."
Praise the Lord!
"The true success of a ministry or a godly legacy is how successfully they have raised the next generation to walk in the way of the Lord." — Abraham Israel
But I have found consistently the children who grow in worldliness because of a pull towards it in their parents life, they have completely lost their life in sorrow and despair in their later period of life. All I think at those times are, "How foolish these parents have been in thinking that their children should not get too spiritual?"
Jesus hit the nail in the coffin of those who think that they can have the best of both the worlds by saying, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Luke 16:13). Either we are devoted to God wholly and teach our children to do the same, or else we accept that we are devoted to money as there is no inbetween category who can have the both. If we are devoted to money, our time given to bear fruit for the Lord will be lost for eterntiy ahead. And also we will pierce ourselves with many sorrows after we have destroyed the life of ourselves and the generation after us (1 Tim 6:9-10). Some people who think that they can feed their children some wordly wisdom to go after money and also for security reasons have reverance for God in a religious way. God is looking to have relationship with His people and is not looking for the so called reverence and pious outward actions of religious nuts (Mat 23:28).
When Jesus was on the earth doing His ministry, he did not rebuke the sinners for breaking God's law as they already were seeking Jesus to receive the mercy of God for relief from their sinful bondages, but he rebuked the Pharisees who were the religious nuts who always tried to act as though they were spiritual and need no instruction from God Himself (Matt 21:31-32). Their hearts were filled with love of money and so they turned up their nose to deride Jesus when He spoke about hating money to love God whole heartedly (Luke 16:14-15). These same Pharisees not only destroyed their own lives but also of the lives of their children who became completely lost in spiritual darkness (Matt 23:29-32). Never forget that the recurrence of all the wrong attitudes with which you walk and humble not before God will end up destroying your children in the next generation (Prov 20:7; Psa 37:28).
These same wordly wise parents have cried and confessed at the time of reaping fleshly fruit from the next generation, that they have failed in their God given duty to raise their children in a godly way for the Lord's use. But it was too late. Anything that is not wholly given to the Lord will become of no use to anyone as time passes by. If we choose to train our children in the way of the Lord, when they become old they will not depart from it (Prov 22:6). So as much as we the parents of the children desire to commit our life wholly to God, that much God will begin to use our children when they grow up (Psa 37:5). The children will be the reflection of their parents attitude. If the parents cleanses themselves for the Lord and the give themselves wholeheartedly for extention of His kingdom on earth, the children will also grow up to love the Lord in their lives and serve the Lord in a more glorious manner (2 Tim 2:21; 2 Cor 7:1).
So what are you valuing in your life as a parent of a child. Ask yourself these hard question for yours and your children's benefit, "Is the Kingdom of God and walking in His righteous way the prime priority in my life (Matt 6:33)? Am I wrongly thinking that my children can have the best of the both worlds which God hates (Rev 3:16)? Have I been loving my children above my Lord Jesus and fail to take up the cross of Jesus and follow His self-denying footsteps (Matt 10:37-38)? Have I been a godly example to my children who are seeing me as their prime example to follow? Am I taking the time to encourage them to walk in the Lord, spending the money to promote godliness, helping my children to meditate on the word through training them, conducting daily family prayers and making them accountable to walk in the way of the Lord?"
If you have failed in any of these things, now humble yourself before the Lord and say, "Dear Lord Jesus, I want to live for you and love you with all my heart. I understand that I am the only example that my childrens will see in understanding your love and righteousness towards them. So help me walk in your way and also train my children in your way of righteousness. May my heart desire be cleansed once again to seek your kingdom and your righteousness alone, and help me be an ambassador in the extension of your kingdom. May I be serving you and not money all the days of my life. All my childrens are yours and I believe that you will teach them personally and because of it they shall have great peace in their lives (Isa 54:13). Use them for your glory, in JESUS name I pray. Amen and Amen."
Praise the Lord!
"The true success of a ministry or a godly legacy is how successfully they have raised the next generation to walk in the way of the Lord." — Abraham Israel
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