Grandparents Day!

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he mentions Timothy’s Grandmother. Look at 2 Timothy 1:5, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy GRANDMOTHER LOIS, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

The genuine faith that Paul found in Timothy, can be traced all the way back to his grandmother Lois.

Not only can a lot of the good qualities that we find in children be traced back to their grandparents, so can a lot of bad qualities be traced back to them.

Look at our text verse again, we read, “…And there arose another generation after them, which KNEW NOT THE LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD”

The conditions of our society today are the result of the way past generations of parents and grandparents raised their children. During their lifetime some sowed bad seeds, and during our lifetime we are reaping the evil harvest. This is what happened in the days of Israel, and this is what is happening in our day also.

We really cannot do much about these people today, except pray for them and witness to them.

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THE FUTURE GENERATION?

Our children will soon be filling our places.

Illus: We all have heard that old saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world.” That is true, and we had better never forget that!

When we fail to teach our children that the Lord should be first in their lives, we can quickly loose a whole generation, morally and spiritually.

The reason that America is as wicked as it is today, is because parents of the past have taught their children that:

• Sports is everything

• Popularity is everything

• Materialism is everything

• Pleasure is everything

And we now are reaping a society of people who believe this.

When some grandparents came out of the great depression after having a difficult time surviving, they decided that their children and grandchildren would not have to suffer like that, and they made life easy for them. They wanted to give them a life of material things, pleasures, entertainment, and luxury. They spoiled their children rotten. They had time for everything but God, and now we are reaping the fruit of that generation.

One result of trying to make life easier for the coming generations was that the work ethic was removed. People today not only do not want to work hard for a living, but they don’t want to work at all!

Illus: Most young people today would think that Manual Labor is the name of a Mexican man.

It is sad that the present generation is making the same mistakes that past generations have made. To keep this from happening, look at the instructions God gave to parents and grandparents.

Look at Deuteronomy 6:6-7. “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.”

Look at the word “diligently,” this is the Greek word “Shanan”, (Shaw-nan) which means to point, to pierce.

The biggest thing some parents have ever done for their child is to potty train them, because ever since then, the child has been pretty much on his own. But the fact is, as parents and grandparents, we have to continue TO POINT them in the right direction on a daily basis.

Notice that the word of God is to be taught all the time.

• “when thou sittest in thine house”

• “when thou liest down”

• “when thou risest up”

Some parents may say, “Preacher, I think kids today are smarter than kids used to be in my day.” Are you kidding?

• Some of these young men are having a hard time figuring out how to keep their pants up.

• Some of these young ladies don’t have enough sense to know that you wear an earring in your ear, not in your eyelid, nose, or tongue.

• Some kids don’t know that their hair is not supposed to be orange or green or purple.

• Many of today’s kids don’t have any concept of Salvation in Jesus Christ.

When we, as parents and as grandparents, fail to train our children, they will grow up ignorant concerning the things of God, and of proper conduct in this society.

As parents and grandparents, we still have the obligation of Ephesians 6:4, “…Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”