Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 8:1-3, Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
Here is a sad commentary regarding the sons of Samuel. Even though Samuel was faithful in his service to the Lord thus far, his sons did not follow his example. We must remember, as parents, that all we can do is raise our children to follow the Lord, but we are not guaranteed that they will follow in our footsteps, as they have the same freewill to choose the Lord, or reject, as we do. We saw the same thing occur with Eli’s sons in chapter two, although Samuel’s sons were not as wicked as Eli’s. Here is a man who faithfully served the Lord and set a good example for his family; yet, his sons refused to follow the same path. It appears that they were initially doing what was right, and for that reason Samuel appointed them judges over Israel. However, it seems that the allure of the world and what it had to offer was too tempting for them. As parents, all we can do is follow the instructions we have in respect to raising godly children. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” We must teach them the ways of God, set the example, and discipline them when necessary. Proverbs 13:24 clearly states, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” One of the things I have seen that has been detrimental to our children following the Lord when they are old enough to make their own decision, is that in our well-intentioned attempts to raise them in a godly way, we shelter them way too much, rather than using what happens in the world as an opportunity to teach them God’s perspective on the matter. We shy away from teaching them about sex and other subjects simply because they world has made it dirty, when all along it was God who created it for our pleasure when in the proper and pure context it was intended for. I have seen far too many Christians treat the subject of sex, music, and other areas of life as if it was a sin to even mention them. The result has been that our children grow up and are released into a world that has taken the things that God created for our good, our pleasure, and His glory, and corrupted them, making them pleasurable to the flesh. The allure becomes great, and our children, not being armed with the biblical knowledge they need to withstand the temptation, fall prey to the devils and the world’s ways. The fact of the matter is that when they grow older, they will make their own decisions, but we can trust that even if they walk away for a time, God promises that when they are old they will not depart from what they have been taught. There will be times when we, as parents, will fail to set a good example, as we too may go through a period of rebellion and stumbling in our own walk, but this does not excuse us from doing all we can to lead them on the right path. Sadly, as children go, and as many of us did growing up, they will sometimes be quick to use our backslidden moments as a justification for their own times of rebellion against the Lord. Nonetheless, we must remain faithful and trust that as they get older the Lord will change their hearts and set them on the right path. If we fail to give them the foundation they need, which is Christ Jesus and His Word, they will have nothing to draw from as the Holy Spirit works in their lives. It is in times like these, when our children stray from the Lord and what they have been taught, whatever the excuse, that we must be diligent to pray for them and trust in God’s divine grace to bring them back to the place where they belong. It is a godly parent’s prayer, and desire, that his/her children seek the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. We may experience heartbreak when they stray, but if we have taught them well, even if we have stumbled ourselves, we can trust that we have a faithful God who will honor His Word when we do all we can to live by it. The best we can do is hold them accountable, pray for them, and then be ready to be there for them when they turn back to the Lord. It may surprise you when they come back and seek you and your guidance when they finally realize that this world and its riches have nothing to offer but heartache, destruction, and disappointment, and that what we taught them is what will give them true success in this life. As much as we would like to spare them from suffering, the best place they can be, when they are beyond our control, is under the watchful eye of our loving Lord. If any of us have children who have strayed, let us today be encouraged to pray for them and always be ready to help them get back on track with seeking and serving our God, when the Lord has turned their hearts around and they are ready to seek God’s will and plan for their lives..
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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