July 5th, 2023
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
A Serious Drug Problem
An elderly woman was amazed at how nice the young man was next door. Every day he would help her gather things from her car or help out in her yard. One day, she finally asked him, "Son, how did you become such a fine young man?"
He replied, "Well, when I was a boy, I had a serious drug problem."
The lady was shocked. "I can’t believe that."
The young man replied, "It’s true. My parents drug me to church on Sunday morning, drug me to church on Sunday night and drug me to church on Wednesday night."
While growing up in the church is no guarantee that a child will grow up to be an individual of strong moral character or with a generous heart, it is true that what he/she experiences and what he/she is exposed to as a child has a strong bearing on his/her future character and way of life. With all of the negative forces of influence in children’s lives today such as television, movies, anti-christian lyrics in music and such our children need to have as many opportunities for Christian fellowship and example as possible.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (NIV)
If parents want to rear their kids with strong Christian influences, their best chance of accomplishing this is to not only make sure their kids get to church, but to take them there themselves. If they are merely sent, the kids eventually begin to see that the parents don’t really believe in the importance of the church and begin to wonder if they should believe it too. Children crave the attention and companionship of their parents and want to be with them. While they may say otherwise, the truth is they want to be just like their parents and, more often than not, they become just that.
The church provides multiple opportunities for children to not only learn about God, but to meet Him in a personal way. Besides our Sunday School, Children’s Church (TEKNON), youth groups, church camps, special activities and so on, we have Vacation Bible School each summer and that program is coming up this weekend. Sunday morning’s service will be our closing program for VBS. You’ll love seeing what our kids have learned this week.
The church also provides opportunities for spiritual growth for their parents and grandparents. If parents are too caught up in other areas of life to participate in church life, why do they think their children would end up any other way? There is nothing you do on Sundays that will have a more positive eternal impact or have a greater influence on the moral character of your children than taking your family to the house of the Lord and sharing in the godly impact of church life on a daily basis.
It comes down to relationship. If you have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ you will want to worship Him with the rest of His people. If you do not have that relationship, know that you can. Surrender your life to Him and you will begin to do those things that will improve the health of your family life and the eternal life of your kids, not to mention yourself.
Perhaps you should start a serious drug problem in your family.
Because of Jesus,
Jon
A Serious Drug Problem
An elderly woman was amazed at how nice the young man was next door. Every day he would help her gather things from her car or help out in her yard. One day, she finally asked him, "Son, how did you become such a fine young man?"
He replied, "Well, when I was a boy, I had a serious drug problem."
The lady was shocked. "I can’t believe that."
The young man replied, "It’s true. My parents drug me to church on Sunday morning, drug me to church on Sunday night and drug me to church on Wednesday night."
While growing up in the church is no guarantee that a child will grow up to be an individual of strong moral character or with a generous heart, it is true that what he/she experiences and what he/she is exposed to as a child has a strong bearing on his/her future character and way of life. With all of the negative forces of influence in children’s lives today such as television, movies, anti-christian lyrics in music and such our children need to have as many opportunities for Christian fellowship and example as possible.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (NIV)
If parents want to rear their kids with strong Christian influences, their best chance of accomplishing this is to not only make sure their kids get to church, but to take them there themselves. If they are merely sent, the kids eventually begin to see that the parents don’t really believe in the importance of the church and begin to wonder if they should believe it too. Children crave the attention and companionship of their parents and want to be with them. While they may say otherwise, the truth is they want to be just like their parents and, more often than not, they become just that.
The church provides multiple opportunities for children to not only learn about God, but to meet Him in a personal way. Besides our Sunday School, Children’s Church (TEKNON), youth groups, church camps, special activities and so on, we have Vacation Bible School each summer and that program is coming up this weekend. Sunday morning’s service will be our closing program for VBS. You’ll love seeing what our kids have learned this week.
The church also provides opportunities for spiritual growth for their parents and grandparents. If parents are too caught up in other areas of life to participate in church life, why do they think their children would end up any other way? There is nothing you do on Sundays that will have a more positive eternal impact or have a greater influence on the moral character of your children than taking your family to the house of the Lord and sharing in the godly impact of church life on a daily basis.
It comes down to relationship. If you have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ you will want to worship Him with the rest of His people. If you do not have that relationship, know that you can. Surrender your life to Him and you will begin to do those things that will improve the health of your family life and the eternal life of your kids, not to mention yourself.
Perhaps you should start a serious drug problem in your family.
Because of Jesus,
Jon
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