Dads and Moms: in my quiet time yesterday morning, I read in Judges 2:10 the sad story of the beginning of Israel’s decline after the death of Joshua. It says:

“And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”

As I meditated on this verse, I thought: part of my job description as a parent is to do all that I can to keep this from happening to my kid. The work of raising our children to know and fear and love God has been delegated by God to us as parents. But parenting is all by the grace of God, and we must have his intervening grace, if we hope to succeed.

This reminds me of a quotation given to me by my brother-in-law, Brian:

“Fundamentally, children, like all people, ought to be considered spiritual individuals who are uniquely created by God and yet are fallen sinners, so that the task of parenting is not merely that of behavioral conditioning but spiritual nurture and training… In reality, only those children and young people who experience personal regeneration through faith in Christ and receive the indwelling Holy Spirit can truly and permanently live a life pleasing to God and benefit as their parents guide them toward greater wisdom. This, however, does not do away with parental disicipline and training prior to a child’s conversion. It does mean, though, that parental efforts can only go so far unless aided by the internal, supernatural enablement in the response of the child. Thus the child’s conversion is truly an important aspect of parental guidance.” From God, Marriage, and Family, by Andreas Kostenberger.

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