Of course it had to happen. Two days after the message on “Straight Shooting Arrows” or how to raise godly children, the newspaper reported exactly when a child must disobey his parents – the mom directed her son to sin. The boy was in a very difficult situation. In Lynnwood, WA a ten-year-old boy was directed by his mom to burglarize a home. Unfortunately, the homeowner was home and the whole thing was caught on security cameras. The child is now under the father’s custody and the mother held on $25,000 bail.
Friends this is not just academic stuff. It’s easy to understand the biblical principles of teaching Children, obey your parents, and Father’s do not provoke your children. But the reality is there are two HUGE hurdles.
First is the application of making all of it work. All things being equal if there are normal children and parents who want to do the right thing, you have a chance of seeing hearts melted and homes repaired to godliness. It’s difficult enough when both parents and children are “normal.” Yet, they both have sin natures fighting against the Spirit to do the right thing. Paul writes, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. (Gal. 5:17) Furthermore, Paul writes, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. (Rom. 7:19) There’s a battle in normal people.
However, and secondly, there is not an ice cube’s chance in Hades, if the parents are not in tune with Jesus and no one outside the home is willing to work with the children. Our communities are filled with broken homes where parents don’t care about Jesus, right and wrong, or morality. What is going on in the heart of the children, do you suppose? They want to respond to Jesus, but no is leading them to the Savior and discipling them beyond their fleshly desires. Who is teaching that boy in Lynnwood, WA how to say, “Mom, I want to obey you. I want to honor you. I want to do the right thing in life and that means I can’t burglarize someone else’s home.” If we in the church don’t come along side of him, how will he learn? Many of these young people are orphans, living at home. James writes, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (Jam. 1:27)
Friends, we Christians have job security. There are so many discipling opportunities if we will open our eyes and set aside our own desires to love on the youth of America. We are beginning to have an explosion of youth at church. If you want an eternal opportunity, you can meet with Justin to see if you have the heart to minister to them. Most of you do. Just let the Lord work through you.
Shepherding Truth 