Proverbs 22:6-7 “Train up a child in the way he should go,  And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Recently, Franklin Graham came to Kentucky to preach the gospel on the Capitol steps.  He also gave a challenge to all those attending that we needed to raise our children to serve the Lord. ” Our country has forsaken Christian principles because we have not raised our children to a life of service to God.  Too many of us as parents have failed our children because we “wanted to give them  a better life.”  Instead, we spoiled them and did not instill in them a work ethic or spiritual values.  There are many reasons cited as to the reason of this downfall, but the main reason is apathy.  Unfortunately, too many parents of the 60’s and 70’s gave their children a “don’t care” attitude. To put it bluntly–God was put in second and third place rather than first in their lives.

When did we begin to isolate ourselves from caring for our neighbors and friends?  When did we become so busy with taking our children to their sports events, we forsook taking them to church?  When did we let others take away our religious freedoms?  There is not a definitive answer.  Little by little, over a span of time, we have allowed our values to become eroded into a self-seeking attitude.  It wasn’t that we didn’t care.  I believe we were too busy with living life selfishly.  You might reply, “But there is not a selfish bone in my body!”  I have been told by one of my friends that I am the most selfless person they know.  However, when I took a look at my “Christian Selfie,” I realized just how selfish I truly was.

In James 3:16 the Bible is very clear, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”  No wonder our world has become so confused!  Our self-seeking nature leaves out Godly principles.  We justify just about anything in our quest to make things better for our children.  We did not step up and demand sports games and practices not occur on Sundays.  We wanted our kids to “start” on their sports teams so we went to practices scheduled at times we should be taking our children to youth group at church.  I was guilty several times!  No wonder our children became so confused!

How can we stop our insanity?  James 4:7 tells us, “Therefore submit to God.”  We must be willing to submit our failures to Him.  In James 4:8, we are told to resist the devil and he will flee from us.  This is where it gets down and dirty.  We are often too caught up in what we want.  We are selfish! We find it easier to live in darkness than in light.   I had a friend tell me her husband said that he didn’t need to change…he liked himself just the way he was.  Maybe you feel the same way.  Not only must we submit ourselves, we must draw near to God.  We must not be satisfied with the way we are.  This is the second way we can stop our selfishness.  James 4:8  also tells us to draw near to God and He will draw near to us.  We can conclude from scriptures that a little humility cures worldliness.  Verse eight of James 4 also challenges us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts.  To do this we must pray and repent from our worldliness.  We literally need to cry out to God to forgive our selfish ways.  Then, we need to read His word daily and humble ourselves so we can be lifted up!  Verse ten gives our lifting up as a promise.  We will be lifted up for His service.  We must be patient and persevere in our service.  From the time seed is planted till it is harvested takes several months.  This is also true in meeting the needs of our children for His service.  The KEY is to train.  Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”  What a great promise! You may think, “my kids are grown–it is too late.”  It is never too late for Jesus to change lives.  He loves you so much, He gave His life for you.  Start today–submit to Him!  Resist the devil!  Then, draw near to God by cleansing yourself from sin and let Jesus purify your heart.  Humble yourself for service and you will be lifted up!  May God bless you as you seek His face to overcome your selfish ways.