www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
not;you?;God;is;looking;to;and;fro;across
the;earth;to;find;those;whose;hearts;are
set;on;seeking;Him.
2. What Does God Desire for
Our Children?
What He desires for our children is the
same as what he wants for us: that we
would all be refined and prepared for
use in His plan, His purpose, and His
Kingdom.;For;such;a;great;calling,;we
cannot;send;our;kids;to;just;anyone;for
training,;and;definitely;should;not;send
them;to;the;King’s;enemy;to;be;trained.
We must protect them and train them as
knights;in;a;Kingdom.;They;need;to;be
disciplined, holy, and set apart for the
King’s;use.;How;can;He;use;those;who
serve;under;other;gods?;If;God;is;look-ing for this generation to stand against
the tide of present and future evil, then
this;generation;needs;to;know;what;they
believe and are not afraid to articulate
that;belief.;The;King;of;the;past,;present,
and future desires a generation of parents, children, families, who are ready
and;willing;to;lay;it;all;down;and;seek
first;the;Kingdom;of;God.
3. Separate Yourself
Christian parents must heed the warnings in Scripture. We must “come out
from among them and be separate”
( 2 Corinthians 6: 17). Our nation was
started on that Scripture. The men who
believed;it;and;staked;their;claim;on;it
were called Separatists. They continued
to remain separate, even through many
horrendous obstacles. We are rich and fat
and comfortable and arrogant because of
their;sacrifices;of;separateness.
How can we raise a generation that is
holy and blameless and set apart for the
King’s;service?;We;prepare;them;for;that
service;by;keeping;them;holy;and;blame-less and set apart. We do it by sheltering
them;from;the;influences;of;the;world,
their;own;flesh,;and;the;enemy;of;their
souls. A soldier would be worthless and
dangerous;if;he;was;under;the;King,;but
held allegiance with the enemy. He must
be separate and set apart. That does not
mean we become so separate that we are
now a commune unto ourselves. It means
that every circumstance and situation is
explained to our children in the light
of;God’s;Word;and;His;commands;for
their life. It means that everything is seen
through;Biblical;lenses;as;we;go;out;and
face the world together.
4. How long, O Lord? Faith for the
Long-haul
We have a new generation of homeschoolers who are bringing children
home and bringing curriculum home,
but have no conviction or vision or
sense of longevity. As soon as a trial
comes,;they;are;sending;those;kids;right
back out from under their wings. We
have a new generation of homeschoolers
who are doing so, because it is the latest
Christian fad and it seems many in their
church or circle of friends are home-schooling. So they purchase what every-one;else;is;purchasing;-;only;to;find;that
the;sacrifice;of;their;time;and;energy;is
too;great;and;back;to;the;world’s;domin-ion they go. We have a new generation
of homeschool moms who would rather
be sipping a mocha while phoning a
friend than be sitting with their children going over the fruit of the Spirit.
Or, they could put the phone down and
read;the;book;of;Judges;discussing;the
fact that everyone was doing what was
right in their own eyes. Many home-school moms spend too much time in
silly;arguments;on;Facebook;(ironically
discussing what seems right in their
own eyes.) When these homeschool
mom’s children come against the tide
of;the;world’s;ways;and;wisdom,;great
will;be;their;fall;if;they;have;no;Biblical
foundation on which to stand.
A mealtime prayer, an hour on Sunday, and a good youth group will just
not;cut;it.;Kids;are;leaving;that;kind;of
faith. Children want to have something
to stand for; a cause; a faith for the long-haul of life. We can daily help them to
become warriors: contending with those
who contend with God and His ways.
We can teach them that God wants doers
and not hearers only who deceive them-
selves. We have been raising hearers. We
hand;our;child;a;good;book,;while;we
gossip with the neighbor. We have been
raising;hypocrites;;those;who;look;good
outwardly, but their hearts are far from
righteous.;Lord,;help;us;to;finally;take
our job seriously, to shepherd hearts,
and stay the course.
5. Good Shepherds Lead Their
Sheep
Where are the parent-shepherds who
will protect, shelter, guard and keep
watch over their own little sheep? They
are sending their kids to the wolves
dressed;in;sheep’s;clothing.;They;are;ask-ing others to guard their sheep. They are
willingly;placing;their;sheep;in;harm’s
way. Their children begin to follow any
shepherd who will teach them the way
they should go. Who will teach your
sheep? You or some other shepherd?
We have a Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ,
who has shown us how to lead sheep. He
protects His sheep from the enemy. He
leads them beside still waters. He leads
them in paths of righteousness. May we
be;like;Him;with;our;own;little;lambs.
6. Let the Little Children Come
Jesus asks that the children come to
Him and not be sent away. Even the
very elect said (and continue to say)
to;send;them;away.;But,;how;can;they
come if we do not lead them? Jesus
says, let them come. If we instead let
them go, they may go to unsheltered
environments that leave them open to
harm. Or they may go to foolish companions. A companion of fools suffers
harm (Proverbs 13: 20). Fools (“who
say;in;their;heart;that;there;is;no;God”)
come in many role models that are
causing harm—harm that may extend
to future generations—harm that may
draw them away from their families
and swallow them up whole. On the
other hand, a companion of Christ
receives life. Let the children come;
receive life—and you lead the way.
7. Entertainment or
Enlightenment?
To ask what kind of worldly enticements we should allow our children, is
to;ask;what;kind;of;harm;we;want;them
to;endure.;Will;our;children’s;children
be affected by the choices they make
today? Nothing is harmless save the
We want children
with enlightened
eyes, not eyes that
have seen more evil
than good – more
darkness;than;light.
