Train Up a Child

 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~Proverbs 22:6

Before anyone says or thinks anything.....I DO know that sometimes no matter WHAT you teach your child or what you do.....when they reach a certain age, they make their own decisions and are responsible for it.

BUT....that being said.....I have been very burdened with this lately. 

Many times children that were raised in church............go astray. 

But, I look around and soooooooooo MANY, MANY of church folks "play church".  They get up and go.....when it is convenient but they do not make "Christ" a priority in their lives.  The world has lots to offer and if you allow, Satan will give you lots of opportunities NOT to go to church;  too tired; headache; other obligations; sports or dance events, etc.  Church and Christ are NOT a priority.....if it was.............it would come first REGARDLESS.  Like I said, Satan will give you an EXCUSE....if you will allow him to.  The world will schedule things to keep you BUSY on church days.

Anyway, I have been burdened because I look around me and many of the kids I saw that grew up in church............especially where the dad was not the spiritual leader and church was not a priority........the kids have gone astray.  They never developed a LOVE for the church or a HABIT of attending and participating to the point that it became natural.  They grew up thinking that........if something better comes along.......it is okay to miss church.

To train up a child.....................means to train him, teach him and SHOW him by example how he is to live.

I know I am preaching to the choir..................but do you look around and see this in your community or even your church?

Right now, I have a friend who has a 15 year old daughter who is not a Christian.  She has been raised in church.  BUT.....she played softball and if there was a tournament.........she missed church and went to the games.  She also danced.  If there was opportunities to dance on Sunday, they missed church to take her.  Dad never showed a lot of interest.........I doubt if his daughter ever heard him pray............and she never saw him take an active part in the church............because church was never a priority to him.  Mom wasn't much better.  She went, but Christ was not the center of her life.

Children learn by example.......................You might be able to fool other adults, but children see thru you.

This 15 year old girl was taught that none of this "stuff" was really important; especially not as important as ball, or dance or anything else that might come up.  NOW.....suddenly, mom and dad are getting concerned because she has never accepted Christ.  No matter what they say....she has been taught that it is not really important.  She has a younger brother that has accepted Christ, but I also worry about him because even though he is a Christian, he has been taught that all this church stuff is not important............so I worry that it is not instilled into his life.

We.....and I mean Christians as a whole.....are failing in training up our children to make Church and Christ the center of their homes.

Please help me pray for this family and the salvation of the 15 year old.  But, also, help me pray for families everywhere..............even in our own churches....who are training their children that everything else is more important.