PARENTS, WAKE UP!

THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT SPIRITUALLY LEADING YOUR FAMILY

Psalm 78:9-11

The Ephraimites, armed with the bow,

turned back on the day of battle.

They did not keep God's covenant,

but refused to walk according to his law.

They forgot his works

and the wonders that he had shown them.

How can this be?! Israel had watched God perform miracles, defeat enemies, provide in miraculous ways, and yet they ignored their God. The evidence for the answer comes as a clear testimony from God, Himself: they ‘refused’ to obey His law and they ‘forgot’ His works for them!

The psalmist began this psalm by commanding the fathers to teach and transmit to the children the truth about their God. This instruction cannot be done one time for all, but needs to be repeated consistently within the family. We tend to forget easily. God knows this, and commands us to remember and remind others continually.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

       

The command was very clear. The children of Israel needed to love their God completely and love His words. As they submitted in heart and action to this command, they needed to do all that was necessary to teach their children His words and lead their families in attitudes of love and submission to their God.

Dear fathers and mothers, is this a priority in your lives? Have you taken personal responsibility to teach and guide your families in these vital areas? Obviously, you cannot teach what you have not learned, and you cannot model attitudes that your behavior does not show!

So many parents believe that their major responsibility is to provide financially for their children. The Lord does command them to provide for the family, but that provision was for their needs, not necessarily their desires for particular wants. Parents today are, many times, overwhelmed by working to provide for their children far beyond their necessities. Much effort is placed in providing extracurricular activities like music and sports, for example. They are certainly good and useful, but are they crowding out the even more valuable aspect of life, the eternal matters?

At this point, it is necessary to stop and assess our own lives.

1 – Are we taking the time to grow spiritually so that we can instruct our children in the things of God?

This is not a job that we should relegate to a youth pastor or a Christian school. Although we are grateful for these provisions, it remains our responsibility. We must take time to grow, for we can only teach what we learn and live. It must be fresh, the result of an ongoing personal growth.

2 – Are we living a life that is an example for our family? The use of our time speaks loudly about what is important to us! Our attitudes expose what is really in our hearts. Our priorities preach what we love.

As parents, we learn on the job! It is important to find others who have done a good job in caring spiritually for their children and ask them to give us advice. And God’s Word is full of His principles for teaching our children His ways!

3 – Is there a need to change? True change can only come through the help of the Lord. We must repent and truly ask God to reset our ways and priorities.

Changes in our families’ dynamics might not be received well at first; we must take the time to explain why we are making the changes and confess our shortcomings to those involved. We need to understand that our neglect has had consequences; but we must trust God to help us.

Overall, the psalmist reminds us that God was faithful to His people. Yes, He expected their obedience, but He always showed grace to them when they repented and turned to Him for help.

We are so blessed by the fact that God has given us His Word. Reading this psalm is a powerful and loving reminder to all of us.

God is the One who changes lives. We cannot change hearts; but what we can do is be obedient, ask for God’s help continually, and trust Him for the results! Men, you must remember that you are the ones to whom God has given the responsibility to lead in this way! We certainly don’t want our families to forget God!