Body
REALITY CHECK. Where have we gone wrong? If we're going to be brutally honest, we have to look no further than the average home in America. It's no secret that many, many young people are growing up in less than ideal circumstances. And those circumstances point back to mom and dad. However, all is not lost...IF parents would only follow God's Word. In talking to Jewish parents roughly 3,500 years ago, God essentially told them, "The buck stops with you!" when He said, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deut. 6:5). That's the answer to our question! Multitudes of parents no longer love God with all their hearts. In other words, they have no interest in God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, or living for things eternal. Am I "pointing fingers"? I don't mean do. It's just reality. My own parents were "arm's length" religious at best. They didn't understand their sinfulness nor that saving faith in Jesus Christ was necessary for God's forgiveness and eternal life. In short, they didn't love God with all their heart. And therefore, they also never taught me God's Word nor my need to trust Christ. God went on to tell those Jewish parents, "You shall teach them (God's commands) diligently to your children (Deut. 6:7). A godly, God-fearing, God-loving society starts with parents being rightly related to Jesus Christ and humbly walking in obedience to God's Word. When that's the case, they then pass that love of God and His Word on to their children. It seems clear that Joseph and Mary taught Jesus. When he was only 12, they found Jesus in the temple both listening to the rabbis and asking them questions, "And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers" (Luke 2:47). Jesus knew God's Word! So, there's still hope today, for if parents would trust Christ, they would be enabled to love God with all their heart...and to pass it on.