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| Godly Parenting Works! |
Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules[a]—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (ESV)
This morning as I sit in my office writing this blog, different emotions surround this pastor. Last Friday I lost a beloved friend and fellow brother in Christ. This person attended the congregation that mentored me into the pastor that I am today, he was a mentor, friend and confidant.
Last week my parents visited us and I truly saw how aging is truly beginning to slow them down. With these visions in my head I began to draw on the memories of older mentors and my parents, while embracing the wonderful things that they have taught me.
Is Godly parenting a thing of the past? Is there room for it in today's society? Thankfully the answer is yes! Instead of this weekend being spent in mourning and melancholy, it was spent with God showing me new and miraculous forms of Godly parenting.
- It was shown through a young man showing me his new Bible, and proudly showing his pastor all that he had studied already.
- It was shown through the young mother holding her child on top of the pew so the young lady could sing God's music with the entire church.
- It was shown through the high school youth engaging me in conversation as we discussed the Book of Revelation.
- It was shown through the loving donations of a community to the local free clinic that benefits the working uninsured.
Brothers and Sisters, as you go about your week, know that Godly parenting works! While it is not often seen, it is alive and well. As you encounter one another this week, embrace the past, embrace the present, and look to the future that God is making, and embracing and loving.
God shines in the past, present, and in the future.
Pastor Tim
