Train Up A Child ... '' Wait a Minutel ''
By Pastor Leon R . Bing
We remember this passage of scripture that says ;
Train up a child in the way he should go : and when he is old , he will not depart from it . Proverbs 22:6
But what happens when the one who is to train up the child has not been trained ? This has become a reality in the lives of so many young people today . We are so busy looking at the unfortunate issues of our teenage generation that many of us have missed this one fact ! Some of these teens are in situations where the ones that are responsible for training them in the ways of the Lord , have not been trained themselves .
There is so much to learn from the Book of Proverbs , and I encourage everyone to really read and study this Book of the Bible . Even better get it also on cassette and compact disk . That way you can even listen to it throughout the day if you have the opportunity to do so .
Now lets us focus on the matter at hand . There are so many cases where we look at situations involving our youth and we just shake our heads wondering , how ? Why ? And who , would allow there children to do some of the things that we see happening around us ? But I think we need to really look at and begin to pray for those who missed the opportunity to properly train their children . And to those of you who are in this situation , I encourage you to no longer sit back and not to seek spiritual assistance . We are in a time now that we , the body of Christ must work with all of the families of God to restore one another back to the place in Christ where we need to be . We must stop placing faith in a system that does not work , and start placing faith in the God who does not fail !
I know that this is not a shock to you , but the system has failed us . Yes I said it , the system has failed us . Take your pick , the School System , Juvenile Justice System , Dept . of Children & Families , all of them ! What I mean by this is that they have allowed things to get so far out of control that it is basically , in my opinion , beyond repair ! Now please don ' t get me wrong , there are people who are working as hard as they can to make the system work , but there are too many laws and policies that prevent anything fruitful to come from their hard work . And yes there are a lot of success stories , but much more failures than you have been led to believe . Now let me get off of this political soap box and give you spiritual sustenance . Let us take a look at Chapter I of the book of Proverbs :
Proverbs 1:1-7 1 The Purpose of Proverbs These are the proverbs of Solomon , David ' s son , king of Israel .
2 The purpose of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline , and to help them understand wise sayings .
3 through these proverbs , people will receive instruction in discipline , good conduct , and doing what is right , just , and fair .
4 These proverbs will make the simpleminded clever . They will give knowledge and purpose to young people .
5 Let those who are wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser . And let those who understand receive guidance
6 by exploring the depth of meaning in these proverbs , parables , wise sayings , and riddles .
7 Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge . Only fools despise wisdom and discipline . NLT
Verses 2 and 3 give us the plan God has for the family , which He has given us through Solomon , David ' s son . By following the sayings of this Book of the Bible , our families reap the benefits . When the old " H . R . S ." ( Now D . C . F. ) Came into our homes , they told the family what it could and could not do when it came to raising and disciplining our children . It is the opposite of that which the Word of God commanded us .
Proverbs 1:8-19
8 Listen , my child , to what your father teaches you . Don ' t neglect your mother ' s teaching .
9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor . 10 My child , if sinners entice you , tum your back on them !
11 They may say , " Come and join us . Let ' s hide and kill someone ! Let ' s ambush the innocent !
12 Let ' s swallow them alive as the grave swallows its victims . Though they are in the prime of life , they will go down into the pit of death .
13 And the loot we ' ll get ! We ' ll fill our houses with all kinds of things ! 14 Come on , throw in your lot with us ; we ' ll split our loot with you ."
15 Don ' t go along with them , my child ! Stay far away from their paths .
16 They rush to commit crimes . They hurry to commit murder .
17 When a bird sees a trap being set , it stays away .
18 But not these people ! They set an ambush for themselves ; they booby-trap their own lives !
19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy for gain . It ends up robbing them of life . NLT
Pastor Leon Bing Train Up A Child Jacksonville , Florida Summer 2014
Can you imagine how life would be if more parents would have been teaching there children from this book of the bible over the past 10 or 20 years ! As you read this , don ' t you find it amazing how the Wisdom of Solomon hit the nail on the head for even our day and time ! And it doesn ' t matter which translation of the bible you read this from you still get the great revelation of God for our families today !
Proverbs 1 : 20-33 20 Wisdom shouts in the streets . She cries out in the public square . 21 She calls out to the crowds along the main street , and to those in front of city hall .
22 '' You simpletons !" she cries . " How long will you go on being simpleminded ? How long will you mockers relish your mocking ? How long will you fools tight the facts ?
23 Come here and listen to me ! I ' ll pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise .
24 " I called you so often , but you didn ' t come . I reached out to you , but you paid no attention .
25 You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered .
26 So I will laugh when you are in trouble ! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you-
27 when calamity overcomes you like a storm , when you are engulfed by trouble , and when anguish and distress overwhelm you .
28 " I will not answer when they cry for help . Even though they anxiously search for me , they will not find me .
29 For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD . 30 They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them .
31 That is why they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way . They must experience the full terror of the path they have chosen .
32 For they are simpletons who turn away from me - to death . They are fools , and their own complacency will destroy them .
33 But all who listen to me will live in peace and safety , unafraid of harm ." _ NLT
This last passage of chapter I speaks so prophetically of the situation we are seeing here in Jacksonville today . While God is speaking through His people , the system refuses to hear . The system would rather continue to patchwork , or use band-Aids to solve our problems , " good luck !" But my concerns are for those who continue to put their faith and trust into this system , and then expect that the system is going to solve their problems . How many times are you going to be disappointed ? How long will you continue to sip on the temporary fix that the system is giving you while in the mean time your children are continuing to slip through the cracks !
We all must come to the point to where we , without any doubt , put our faith , trust , and confidence in the Lord ! Remember this comment that Jesus made :
Luke 5:23-26
23 Is it easier to say , ' Your sins are forgiven ' or ' Get up and walk '?
24 I will prove that I , the Son of Man , have the authority on earth to forgive sins ." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said , " Stand up , take your mat , and go on home , because you are healed !"
25 And immediately , as everyone watched , the man jumped to his feet , picked up his mat , and went home praising God . NLT
My point is this ; it is nothing for Jesus to bless us ! He only wants us to have faith in Him ! So for those who are to train up a child , we want you to know that it has to begin with Christ . Learn of Him and then you will have something to teach to your child !