While reading an article this
morning by a local pastor, he mentioned some statistics
that got my attention.
He said that if we live to the age of 75 we will spend on average 11 years
watching television. He went on to say that on average we would spend 2-17
minutes each day “on religious activities such as praying, reading the Bible,
going to church, or telling others about Jesus.” If his source is correct, and
it probably is, that really says a mouth-full about our spiritual health in
this country.
In Deuteronomy chapter six
God said to Israel through Moses the following:
Deut. 6:1-2
Now these are the
commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God
commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to
possess it:
That thou mightest fear the
LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command
thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that
thy days may be prolonged.
Deut. 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our
God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD
thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I
command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine
house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for
a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them
upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Deut. 6:12-15
Then beware lest thou forget
the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of
bondage.
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy
God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
Ye shall not go after other
gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among
you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy
thee from off the face of the earth.
Deut. 6:17-18
Ye shall diligently keep the
commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which
he hath commanded thee.
And thou shalt do that which
is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and
that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy
fathers.
WOW! The Word of God must
REALLY be IMPORTANT!
·
Think about His
Word every waking minute
·
Wear His Word on
your body (not tattoos)
·
Write His Word on
the post of your house and your gates
Notice in particular verse
seven, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk
of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and
when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Yes I know this passage was
written for the benefit of Israel, but what God said to Israel is just as
appropriate to the Church today as it was and is to Israel then and now.
Christian parents today make
certain their children know about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Halloween
witches and hobgoblins. They are taught the finer art of many sport activities,
and we even teach them math and how to read and write.
How many Christian parents
though teach their children what God says? How many Christian parents open the
Bible and teach them God’s Word, and then kneel with them, teaching them to
pray? How many of these Christian parents start when their children are young
and continue until they leave the nest?
Most children are left to
somehow pick it up on their own, perhaps by osmosis? The television, Internet
and mobile phone are their babysitters. I know there are Christian parents who
have tried to follow Deuteronomy 6:7, and have done a marvelous job. Most of us
however have been so very weak in this area. By the way, the last place I would
leave them unattended is in front of the television or on the Internet.
I am not trying to browbeat
Christian parents, but perhaps it is an issue that needs attention. What better
time to start than ‘now.’ Maybe we could do better with the grandchildren.
Maybe we missed the boat altogether. If that is the case, then let us not
forget our greatest resource … prayer. Put them in God’s hand and lift them up
to Him daily.
The children of America,
whether from Christian homes or secular homes, are being strongly influenced by
any and everything Satan throws at them. They have hindrances and temptations
today I never dreamed of when I was young. They really need our prayers. The
world of today is much more dangerous; spiritually, emotionally and physically,
for children, or anyone else for that matter.
If we, as Christian parents,
would have followed Deuteronomy chapter six as God said, I really believe we
would see a marked difference in today’s children and grandchildren. Sadly, we
have actually followed the errant way of Israel and because they (Israel)
disobeyed God, they suffered greatly back then and still do today.
God does not tell us to
follow a certain path in life because He can’t think of anything better to do.
He instructs us because He knows what is best for us.
This country is headed for
judgment just as surely as a runaway train barreling toward a cliff is headed
for destruction. Only the hand of God is delaying our demise. If we really
believe this, and I do, you would think we would all be soaking up the Word of
God like a starving wolf over a carcass.
There are so many things we
pass on to our children, whether we realize it or not, but do we pass on to
them what our Lord wants them to know? If we do not teach them, we can rest
assured that Satan will be more than happy to take over. Most parents would do
just about anything for their children, but are we doing for them what they
really need? Are we teaching them the Good News of Jesus Christ and living it
out in their presence? If not, now would be a good time to start.
Grant Phillips
Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
