Colossians chapter 3
Some humor for you:
A mother took her three-year-old daughter to church for the first time. The church lights were lowered, and then the choir came down the aisle, carrying lighted candles. All was quiet until the little one started to sing in a loud voice, "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you..."
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge, and all the people walked across safely. He used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved." "Now, Joey, is that REALLY what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked. "Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it!"
Finding one of her students making faces at others on the playground, Mrs. Smith stopped to gently reprove the child. Smiling sweetly, the Sunday School teacher said, "Bobby, when I was a child, I was told if that I made ugly faces, it would freeze and I would stay like that." Bobby looked up and replied, "Well, Mrs. Smith, you can’t say you weren’t warned."
A six year old comes crying to his Mother because his little sister pulled his hair.
"Don’t be angry," the Mother says, "Your little sister doesn’t realize that pulling hair hurts."
A short while later, there’s more crying, and the Mother goes to investigate. This time the sister is bawling and her brother says... "Now she knows."
Sound familiar mom & dad. That sounds exactly like something I would’ve done when I was younger with my sister.
[Colossians 3:20] “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. [21] Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”
From the Message translation:
“Children, do what your parents tell you. This delights the Master to no end. Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.”
We use the first part of this scripture a lot. At least I know my parents did. And rightly so, children do need to obey and honor their parents. For as it says, it pleases God.
I’m not going to deal with that part too much this morning.
But the part that is often left out is the next verse which is for you mom & dad.
Do not come down too hard or you will crush their spirits or discourage them. {read New Living Trans}
A lot of things get blamed on the youth and children of America and in our families, but they are not always the cause, sometimes just the symptoms.
Who Is To Blame
We read in the paper and hear on the air
Of killing and stealing and crime everywhere.
We sigh and say, as we notice the trend,
“This young generation... Where will it end?”
But can we be sure it is their fault alone?
Are we less guilty, who places in their way
Too many things that lead them astray?
Too much money, too much idle time;
Too many movies of passion and crime.
Too many books not fit to be read;
Too much evil in what they hear said.
Too many children encouraged to roam;
Too many parents who won’t stay home.
Kids don’t make the movies; they don’t write the books.
They don’t paint the pictures of gangsters and crooks.
They don’t make the liquor; they don’t run the bars.
They don’t make the laws, and they don’t make the cars.
They don’t peddle the drugs that muddle the brain.
That’s all done by older folks, greedy for gain.
Delinquent teenagers; oh how we condemn
The sins of the nation and blame it on them.
By the laws of the blameless, the Savior made known;
Who is among us to cast the first stone?
For in so many cases, it’s sad, but it’s true,
The title “delinquent” fits older folks too!
-anonymous-
I am not out today to point fingers or bring a sense of blame or guilt, but to help us realize that we are responsible to bring hope and love and a sense of truth to those around us, young and old.
It is my intent and desire to see our families strengthened by the love and power of God and a closeness to develop in our families like never before.
We cannot change the direction of the children and youth in America by pointing our fingers at them or by throwing our hands in the air in disgust and saying it’s hopeless.
We must instead instill in youth and children a vision of the reality of God. We must also provide Godly leadership to help our children grow into Godly adults.
Since I have become a father, my view point on some things has changed.
And there are three things that I believe we must do to help our children and the youth of today become who they need to be in God for the changes to take place that we all want to see in this society.
First, it is our responsibility as parents and leaders to lead our families guided by a vision of God.
[2 Samuel 7:27-29] "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, `I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. [28] O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. [29] Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."
David had a heart for God and loved God completely. He had a vision of God and knew Him personally.
Described as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
Wrote some of the most profoundly beautiful and descriptive verse about God (most of the book of Psalms).
David recognized that God was sovereign and was his Lord and Master.
He knew that God was in control and was worthy of praise and honor.
David recognized God was his source of strength and peace.
As parents and as a church family we need to help our children understand the sovereignty of God and the fact that He is our source of strength.
Youth and children must see adults living out the life of a servant that is sold out to God and obedient to His Word first, knowing that God is all-knowing and all-powerful.
They must see us living that life before we can expect them to.
Second, we must lead courageously through Godly parenting and leadership.
This is where we begin to learn from David’s mistakes.
David’s son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar and though the Bible notes David’s anger, it also notes that he did nothing about it.
[1 Kings 1:6] (His father had never interfered with him by asking, "Why do you behave as you do?
David was a great leader of Israel, but not a great parent to his boys.
He failed to instill in them Godly principles and the same love for God that he had.
Now, the children and youth don’t want to hear this part, but Godly discipline helps to instill Godly values in children.
Without discipline, children grow to be easily swayed by the feelings of the moment and have no foundation to base decisions on and thus build a life.
Godly discipline is not always popular, but is always necessary in raising Godly children.
But remember as we read earlier, it must be done in a way that does not cause them to become discouraged or embittered and must be done in the love of our heavenly Father.
It takes courage to do this, but it pays off. Though I wasn’t at the time, I am thankful now for the discipline of my parents and the courage they had in instilling that into me.
I have mentioned this before, but I want to read an article to you I ran across a few months back.
DAWN SAGARIO
WORKBYTES COLUMNIST
January 23, 2006
There’s a story that Dan Nagy likes to tell that sounds like the stuff of urban legend among job recruiters.
His voice still has that hint of incredulousness - the whole situation just sounds bizarre - as he recalls one experience of an interviewer, who said a mother showed up for a job interview for her 18-year-old daughter who was "too busy" to make it.
It’s just one example of a phenomenon known among college officials and recruiters as "helicopter parents" - overbearing adults of the baby boomer generation who have hovered over their Generation Y kids, always swooping in at a moment’s notice to eliminate any adversity in their child’s life.
How about this one: One parent wanted to negotiate a child’s job salary.
Nagy said while many in this young work force have been described as technologically savvy, multi-taskers and hardworking, the powerful influence of their parents is undeniable. "I think it’s more of a phenomenon of this age group," said Eric Chester, founder and president of Generation Why Inc., in Lakewood, Colo.
One reason for the trend is the delay in the age of independence among children. In past generations, kids struck out on their own at 18. "Now you’ve got kids at 26 that are still relying way too heavily on mom and dad," Chester said, with young adults camping out at home, getting their laundry done by mom and not having to cough up money for rent.
He argues that that lack of responsibility ultimately translates into the workplace and the inability to make difficult decisions quickly and with confidence. "I want to know that you know how to make a good decision; that you can choose the difficult right over the easy wrong," he said. "Living at home is just a manifestation of an epidemic. And it’s irresponsibility."
Nagy said living at home also provides young people with the mentality that they’ve always got a safety net in their parents. The fear of losing, or leaving, a job is tempered by the fact that mom and pop will be there to take care of them.
While it’s great that some parents are very involved in their children’s lives, he said, some parents become "enablers" for their kids.
World events - terrorist attacks, cost-of-living increases and school shootings - make parents cling even tighter to their children. They want to protect them from everything out in the "big, bad world," said Chester.
What parents forget is that kids must fall down sometimes, get scuffed up once in a while and face the consequences of failure. "They’ve got to have some scars.”
And instead of helping, overbearing parents’ overzealous help can be harmful.
Lori Strottman, president of the Central Iowa Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, says she sees a lack of understanding of corporate etiquette, especially among twentysomethings. One example: Workers having their mom or roommate call in sick for them. "(It’s) just not taking responsibility or not being accountable for their own actions," said Strottman, who believes it’s the parents’ job to teach children correct behaviors.
First, it is our responsibility as parents and leaders to lead our families guided by a vision of God.
Second, we must lead courageously through Godly parenting and leadership.
Third, we must lead by a Godly example.
The best way for youth and children to learn is by example good or bad.
Youth and children must see adults living the life of a servant that is sold out to God and obedient to His Word.
David
[2 Samuel 5:13] “After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.”
Solomon:
[1 Kings 11:3] “He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.”
The idea of “Whatever dad can do, I can do better.”
The example we have here of David is that, yes, he loved God, but he also loved the pleasures of the flesh. We know about the affair David had with Bathsheba.
Solomon built the temple for God, but he married more women than David, about 1000. And his many wives finally led him away from God.
Just as David’s life influenced Solomon, so do our lives influence our children.
I’ve heard it quoted before that the sins of the children are just a magnified reflection of their parents.
In many ways it is true, because children learn by example.
The actions of parents will influence their children much more than their words ever will.
Leading our children into a Godly lifestyle is vital to their future and the future of society.
It has been said that Christianity is one generation away from extinction.
No matter how many good outreaches we do or trips we take, if we don’t pass a love for God and a life in Him on to our children, what good is it?
It takes courage to be a Godly parent, it takes vision, it takes leading by example, but mostly, it takes prayer and your own growing relationship with God.
