Teach the Children!!

Teach the Children! 

Psalm 78:4

"We will not hide them from their children: we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders He has done."

I was talking to a friend of mine a few mornings ago. She said that her daughter mentioned that we don't know anything about what she's going through because we haven't been through anything. We laughed together at the thought. We haven't been through anything? Ma'am! We could write books about all the things that we have been through. The good days and the bad days - the happy times, followed closely by sad times. The heartbreaks and heartaches. We have been through it all!

I believe the problem is that we make life look too easy. Our kids feel like we haven't endured any hardships because we have reached certain heights or achieved certain accomplishments. But, the Bible talks specifically about telling and teaching the children about the goodness of God. 

As parents, aunts, sisters, brothers, uncles, we have the awesome opportunity to tell the next generation about all the Lord has done. The Bible is full of stories of the greatness of God. It shows Jesus healing the sick, raising the dead, restoring sight to the blind, but a dying world may not be able to comprehend the story of Job, or Abraham or Hannah. But you know what they can understand? The story of Taura, and Keisha and Rhonda, and Rita. We have to tell our children, about the great things that God has done in our lives. 

I know, I know, we hate to relive those moments. We have finally broken out of poverty, addiction, smoking, and drinking and we don't want to go back. We never want to bring it up again, but we have to tell the children that the same God who rescued the children of Israel from Pharaoh is the same God who rescued us from addiction or homelessness or poverty or drugs. We have to tell the children. We can't hide our pasts because it's painful. Hiding our pasts leaves our children to believe that what they are going through is new and there is no help for them. 

Deuteronomy 6:6-7, states "these commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them in your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them in the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." In these verses, God emphasized the importance of parents' teaching the Bible to their children. 

We often hear the news and see social media posts about our children being out of control. Crime stats note that children between the ages of 18 and 24 have the highest crime rates across the country and the first number is dropping daily. And we blame the children. We berate them and seek stiffer laws for their crimes, but my mind always wonders if there was anyone there to teach them. We assume that they had guidance. Maybe they did and chose a different way, but maybe they didn't and chose the wrong way.

In Psalm 78 3-5, God commanded that the stories of His mighty acts in Israel's history and his decrees and ordinances be told to the children. It is so important that we tell the children about what God has done not only for the Israelites but bring it home and tell them what He has done in your life. You weren't always a six-figure earner. Tell them about your minimum wage days. You didn't always have a two-story home; tell them about the apartment days or better yet living from pillow to post. You didn't always drive a fancy car, tell them about the days when the 2 Walker, as my mom used to say (your legs) or the 56 Union Kimball was your mode of transportation.  Telling the story helps the next generation know God according to His acts and obey God even when they don't understand. It also helps them see that they are not alone in what they are going through and can make it out of their current situation. Revelations 12:20 says that we are overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. 

Today think about the children and young people in your life. What are you telling them?  Are you telling them your story? Your testimony? How God delivered you? Brought you out? If not, this is a great time to tell the children.  They need to know that the same God that saved Israel, that saved you, is the same God that can and will save them.

Live in the RED today. You are loved, forgiven, and covered in the Blood of Jesus! 

#Loved

#Forgiven

#CoveredByTheBloodOfJesus

#TellingandTeachingTheChildren