Moving Beyond Guilt: Training God’s Way
Today's Scripture
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." - Proverbs 22:6 NIV
Thoughts for Today
Some mothers prepare their teenage daughters for premarital sexual activities by helping them with birth control plans. They may feel guilty asking their teenage daughters to abstain from sex outside of marriage, especially if they did not. Likewise, some fathers may allow their teenage sons to drink alcohol—after all, they did when they were teens … how can they say "no?"
No matter what mistakes we may have made, that is history. If we have received Jesus' forgiveness, the past is past. This is today—and God is calling us today to train our children in the way they should go. The way that is pleasing to him.
Consider this …
Because you broke rules and made mistakes does not mean that your children should follow the same pattern. It is vital that you learn from your wrongdoing and receive Christ's forgiveness. Then God calls you to love your children enough to teach them the right way—God's way.
Remember, you don't have to do it alone. Ask God for the courage, the strength and the wisdom to train your children in the way they should go.
Prayer
Father, help me to guide and discipline my children so that they won't make the same mistakes that I did. Help me to train them in the way they should go. In Jesus' name …
These thoughts were drawn from . . .
Close—But Not Too Close by Dr. Jimmy Ray Lee. A complement to the Concerned Persons small group study, this booklet is written primarily for those who want to help someone close to them who is enslaved by the stronghold of a life-controlling issue. It is also designed to help someone who is suffering the consequences of a loved one's problem.
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