Proverbs 4:3-4, NIV
“When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, “lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.””
Fathering a child is not the same thing as making someone pregnant. Pregnancy can be achieved in a moment of time, but fathering is a process that requires commitment, dedication, knowledge, understanding, wisdom and time – and lots of it!. Imparting wisdom to the next generation is a prime responsibility of both fathers and mothers as they seek to train up their children in a way that will provide them with a safe and secure set of boundaries within which to adventure into life’s many opportunities. It is intended by God to be a continuous process.
There are many places in Scripture where this vital message about training the next generation is repeated. Teaching one’s children is such an enormous privilege – for in training them in the ways of God, you are giving them the opportunity to reach maturity as men and women of God. Even when we have been well taught, we still have to responsibly lay hold of the truths we have absorbed and to keep the commands of God. But what wonderfully rich promises there are in God’s Word for those who don’t forget the lessons.
Even when we have not personally had the blessing of a human father who imparted to us God’s wisdom when we were young, our heavenly Father has ensured that we can still benefit from the blessing of allowing His wisdom to lead and direct our lives, through the written word of God. The world may not respect the precious truths the Bible contains, but we don’t have to follow the ways of the world. God has given us freewill and when we use it to make godly choices and not swerve off the Royal Highway laid out for us by the King of Kings, then we can be sure that the promises of God will be as true for us as if we had been taught truth from an early age.
Our Scripture for today is a great encouragement to all parents to spend time with their children and let them learn the precious truths in God’s Word by hearing them from our lips and seeing our lives being lived in harmony with the commands of God.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for those who have taught us precious truths when we were young. Help us to remember to use every opportunity to encourage and teach the next generation to lay hold of the Word of God. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
