"Raising Kids In An X Box Generation"

“Raising Kids in an X Box Generation”

-Children are gifts from the Lord-

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

If you compare the amount of time our children and grandchildren are spending playing games or watching videos or television and the amount of time they spend with the family then the computer, vides and television have a greater impact on children than family. There are videos and computer games that teach good Biblical Christian values, but the vast amount of games and videos are not teaching Biblical values. I’m thankful our Christian school provides good Christian values in both computer games and videos. Barbara Crandall is doing a great job providing Biblical games for the Thursday night Kids computer club.

The X box is a Microsoft game station with all kinds of action games. The Sony Play Station is a competitor of X Box. The Play Station has some good games like “Frogger” and others. Top sellers on the play station are not as inspiring. Number one is “Sims – There goes the neighborhood.” The sideline of this game says: “Now you control mom.” Other games include: “Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Combat, Ghost Recon, Devil May – 2.”

How do you raise kids in an X box generation? Our X box generation is based on Post Modern Values. There is a Creator and God but who cares. There are no absolutes. Everything is relative. When God is non-existent and there are no moral codes or commandments then you should not be surprised at the activities of youth today.

A week ago Friday, April 25th, I was working with our FMC in Decatur, Illinois. I watched part of 20/20 on ABC network. The account was given of a new Hollywood film – a reality film. Hollywood producers paid the way for 16 College age youth to spend a couple weeks vacationing in Cancun, Mexico. The film producers paid for all the booze they wanted and no limits were set.

One college boy testified to being from a Christian home and that he had not smoked, or drank or had sex. The film showed him taking his first drink and said it tasted awful. He joined in the immoral activities of the two weeks.

Twin girls were on the trip and the film showed them dancing topless before a mob on the beach. Later the film clip of them dancing was shown to their mother and she is sown on 20/20 giving her response to her daughters. She said she was somewhat surprised but her daughters were only having fun.

When I say the 20/20 report my first thought was at the scene Moses saw when he came down from the Mountain after God gave him the Ten Commandments. Aaron had fashioned a golden calf and the children of Israel were dancing and involved in sexual orgies. Their sin brought God’s judgment.

The sad reality is that Hollywood has a major influence on our society and Hollywood is not teaching morality, but is tearing down the moral fiber in our country. When there is no moral authority in the absence of a Supreme Being, tolerance becomes the ‘god’ who endorses everything and anything except Christian beliefs.

According to postmodern teaching you came into existence by a random choice in a chaotic universe with no design and no designer. You have no inherent value as a human and no significance beyond life on this earth.

Parents can sit idly by or get involved with their children and provide a Biblical environment and raise them with Biblical principles.

The writer of Proverbs gives wise counsel in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Biblical principle:

I. Train up a Child in the Way He Should go.

This verse translated in Hebrew says: “Initiate a child in accordance with his ways.” To train a child the right way is to train according to God’s way. The earlier the training begins the better.

Proverbs 22:6 is not so much a promise as it is a principle that God has laid down. This principle is for all parents and teachers who have the awesome responsibility of affecting little lives for all eternity. Children are God’s gifts to parents.

The “way he should go” is God’s way. The way of salvation - The way to a purposeful life. Guide your children to fulfill the very purpose for which God created them.

God’s Word clearly teaches the responsibility of parents to train their children in God’s way. Deuteronomy 6:6-9: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on 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 on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”