I appreciate all of the godly mothers and fathers in the world that strive to bring up their children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.”(Ephesians 6:4). We know that teaching about God begins in the home; that God expects parents to teach children about Him (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Moms do a lot of this teaching at home, by praying for their children, and by living the life of Christ before them constantly.
“Dear Lord, please be with godly mothers and grandmothers, who strive to teach your word. Help them to lead by example and show by their lives their love for you. Please be with the children around this world, here in the United States and in our homes – that they may know You and how You love them. Help us as parents to get them ready to meet you. Help us to know that what we do often speaks louder than what we say. In Jesus Name, AMEN”
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES?
While teaching a Bible class on divorce and remarriage, I made the statement, “Right or wrong is not decided upon the basis of consequences of an act, but upon what God says about the matter.” It is TRUTH, not CONSEQUENCES, that decides the right or wrong of a thing. Since God’s word is TRUTH (John 17:17), then what God’s word says about it, regardless of the consequences, must be the deciding factor.
In regard to an unscriptural marriage situation, some say, “But, if they must dissolve the marriage, it would create hardships on children that may be involved.” Because of the CONSEQUENCES, they believe it is all right for the parties involved to remain married, even though TRUTH say they are living in an adulterous relationship (Matthew 19:1-9), and cannot, in their present relationship, inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9,10).
I have heard folks say, “I know it is wrong to smoke, but if I quit, I will gain weight.” They base their decisions on CONSEQUENCES rather than TRUTH, for TRUTH says our bodies belong to the Lord, and if we defile our bodies, God will destroy us (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20; 3:16, 17). Of course, the reasoning is false anyway. Stopping smoking doesn’t put on weight; eating problems do.
Often children may reason, “If I tell the truth, I will be punished or suffer other terrible consequences.” So, the decision to lie is justified in their own minds by the CONSEQUENCES. But TRUTH says we are not to lie (Colossians 3:9,10) and liars cannot go to heaven. (Revelation 21:8).
Many other instances could be cited where folks let the deciding factor be based on CONSEQUENCES rather than the TRUTH. But the fact remains, beloved, that ultimately and finally, it is TRUTH and not CONSEQUENCES which will decide.
Marshall Flower, Bremen, GA
REQUIRING CHILDREN TO STUDY THE BIBLE
“I know but one way of explaining the fact that a man claiming to believe the Bible can doubt the duty and obligation of parents to require their children to study the Bible. It is this: I knew an experienced and thoughtful lawyer that insisted that every man had his crazy spot, and on some subject and at some point everyone is crazy.
“For a parent to require a child to wash his face and keep his body clean, and not require him to learn and obey the Bible, is to teach him that the body is worth more than a pure heart and clean and holy spirit.
“For a parent to require a child to learn spelling, reading and arithmetic, and not require the child to study the Bible, is to teach it, by a forcible object lesson, that it is more important to be qualified to live in this world than to be fitted to live in heaven. There is no evading these simple truths. The parent that so treats and impresses his child is the worse enemy that child has. He will be made to feel this when he meets that child at the judgment of God. It is better to face the question honestly now!
David Lipscomb
