I like to laugh. I like to be silly and joke around… life is hard, so I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman who “laughs at the days to come.” But I’ve lived long enough to know that there are times to be serious. Take a moment to consider this: What if you don’t teach your children about Jesus at home? What if you don’t learn the Bible together? What if you neglect praying as a family or never memorize scripture?
Well, to be frank, you’re being disobedient to God. That should be reason enough to shift our focus to these important spiritual disciplines. But what does it mean to your children? Without these Biblical values, they will grow up in a home that perhaps looks a lot like the nice, moral family down the street who is far from the Lord. Are you banking on the one hour out of 168 each week they spend in Sunday School? Are you waiting for them to have a conversion experience at a Christian camp or a mission trip when they (finally) hear the Gospel message clearly preached?
Eternity is at stake.
Our kids must hear Biblical Truth and hear it often from us because the lies of the world are coming at them from every angle. The world’s message and the anthem of pop culture is not passive. I’ve heard parents say “my kids will figure things out when they are ready.” Well guess what? By then, it may be too late. They’ll likely be indoctrinated with the “me” centered cultural norms, attempting to instill Biblical Truth when your son or daughter is 17, 20 years old or even older is much harder.
Eternity starts now. Once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we have the treasure and promise of an eternity in heaven with him. The sooner our children can learn and accept this beautiful truth, the better. It will save them heartache, consequences, and frustration now and give them hope for eternity in their hearts.
Remember that salvation is a one-time event – believe in the Lord and be saved (Acts 16:31). But the process of sanctification is a lifetime pursuit – we learn and grow until we enter into eternity. Take this journey together as a family and trust God that your work and faith is not in vain.
He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it. (Phil. 1:6)