Keep Bending and Shaping The Twig

‘These words which I command you...teach them diligently to your children.’ Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NKJV

On Father’s Day a pastor was making the point that it’s not enough to ‘talk the talk,’ you must also ‘walk the walk.’ He said, ‘It doesn’t matter what you tell your kids, they’ll turn out just like you. That scares me. Does it scare anyone else?’ Looking over the congregation he saw that the only hand raised was his son’s! ‘As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.’ As a father it’s your responsibility to ‘Train up a child in the way he should go.’ (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV) Just as you nourish them with good food, the attitudes you transmit become food for their minds. Don’t feed them cynicism and half-baked theology; feed them spiritually by talking to them about the things of God ‘when you sit…walk…lie down…rise up.’ (Deuteronomy 6:7 NKJV). Dr. D. James Kennedy observed: ‘Sending children to public schools and [expecting] school to teach them everything is a relatively recent development. From the 1600s until the mid 19th century parents maintained responsibility for their children’s education. And…the curriculum included Bible reading and prayers. Today…society has allowed the eradication of both. We can no longer rely on the school system to support Christian views, we must work even harder to ensure our children grow in Christ. How do we bend the twig? With a God-centred education that teaches sound moral principles…kids need high academic standards…and direction towards attaining them through discipline…guidelines, boundaries and rewards…Those of you who have children…don’t give up. Keep bending [and shaping] the twig…one day you’ll have a tree that stands tall and bears fruit for God’s glory.’