Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
This is a favorite verse for many reasons. First, I have found it to be true in my own life. I was raised in a Christian home like many of us. But in my teenage years and early adulthood, I went through a period of apathy and unconcern for the things of God. I knew He was there, and I prayed on occasion, but I did not have a personal relationship with Him. To be honest, I did not know how to have that kind of abiding relationship. Yet, God in His kindness, led me to repentance and granted me salvation at the age of 29. And my life has never been the same since that night I knelt at an altar and gave my life to Christ…. He redeemed my life and directed my steps to the path of life … the path taught to me as a child before I ever understood it.
I also like the King James translation of this verse: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” To me the key word here is “train”. We must be diligent to teach our children the Word of God. We spend hours reading to our children when they are toddlers and pre-school … giving them a head start in life and education. How many of those books are bible stories … planting seeds of faith in their hearts from the earliest age? As adults we know and understand that learning is life-long. It is so important to start our children with the knowledge of God while their minds are sponges and their hearts receptive. Even Jesus exhorted His disciples regarding children coming to Him:
Matthew 10:13-14 (NKJV)
13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Mark 9:36-37 (NKJV)
36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
Luke 18:15-16 (NKJV)
15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
There is a great connection between how we raise our children to be drawn to Jesus and how their lives will enter the Kingdom of Heaven … regardless of the bends and turns they experience along the Way. It requires great patience. It requires intentionality. What does the text say? “Then little children were brought to Him….” We need to bring our children to the Lord Jesus. We need Him to put His hands on them and pray over them. And Jesus wants us to receive children in His name. There is nothing more precious than a child … and children are greatly treasured by our Heavenly Father. So, I pray we will consider this lesson that Jesus taught: “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Cf. Matthew 18:2-4)
So Now You Know 