raising children

2 Chronicles 22:3
“He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly.”

These were dark days in Judah. The once glorious land was filled with idols, immorality and unrighteousness. This had so weakened the nation, they were being attacked and defeated on all sides. Desperate times like these always provide a backdrop for men and women of God to rise to the occasion, and have a tremendous impact upon their world for the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, Ahaziah was not that man. Instead of using his position as king to bring about true and lasting change by turning the hearts of the people back to the ways of God, Ahaziah led the people farther and farther away from the Lord. This young man helped weaken the nation and hasten its demise. Sadly, the strongest influence in leading Ahaziah away from the ways of God was his mother, Athaliah, who advised him to do wickedly.

A mother has an immense influence on her children. Her choices will have a lasting impact on the development, and later success of her kids. In the New Testament, we read of a young man named Timothy, who became a great leader in the early church. Timothy grew up in a home with a believing mother and an unbelieving father. It was the godly example of his mother and grandmother that had the greatest influence on his life. Their example of prayer, obedience, and Scripture reading, would prove to be a greater draw to young Timothy than the temptations of the world in which he grew up.

We must never lose site of the impact we have on those around us. The way we choose to live will influence others. This is particularly true of parents. If you want to see your children walk with the Lord, the first step is to walk closely with Him yourself. If you have prodigal children. Take a moment right now to pray for them, and to remember, God is in the business of bringing prodigals home.

Pastor Jim

Luke 1:80
“So the child grew and became strong in spirit, . . .”

Every parent has the same goal. We desire the best for our children. We want to see them achieve more than we have. We want them to make it through childhood not having been distracted or derailed by vices, but to be prepared to live godly lives and make good life choices. What a blessing for Zacharias and Elizabeth to read that their son, “grew and became strong in spirit”.

This statement reveals the grace of God, but it is also the byproduct of the way they lived their lives. We read in Scripture, and see in life, there are godly children produced in ungodly homes, however it is much more common for godliness in parents to be transferred to their kids. Notice for a moment the way Zach and Liz lived, we read,

“They were both righteous. . .”

Zach chose a godly wife, she a godly husband.
Zach served the Lord.
Together they were committed to the Word of God.
Even before John was born, they were praying for him.
They were real people with real struggles. Not having children and being older, caused Zach to question the promises of God; yet they continued to faithfully follow and serve the Lord.
They stood up to the culture – because Zach was mute, Liz named their son John. The people opposed her, yet she stood on the Word of God.
They worshipped the Lord. The moment his tongue was loosed, instead of blaming God for the difficulties of the last 9 months, Zach worshipped God.
They were filled with the Holy Spirit. Parenting is perhaps life’s greatest challenge, we cannot face it alone, we need a daily outpouring of the Spirit to succeed.

Perhaps the key to it all, they parented with a purpose. In Verse 76, we read they taught John the Word and ways of God. They taught Him God had a plan for his life, and taught him to live up to that plan.
We all want to see our kids and grandkids walking with the Lord. While we trust them to the grace of God, we also must set an example of walking with the Lord. Let’s commit today to put the things of the Lord first in our lives

Pastor Jim