You shall teach them diligently

I often ask myself, “How did we get here?” The bedrock of the nation is collapsing. The one time defenders of the faith are prime attackers of the faith. How did we come about debating the existence of God? Where did the idea that marriage between a man and a woman is old-fashioned and being bi-sexual a done deal? The pointers are simple and straightforward. Our family altars are broken and require mending. Fathers are missing. Mothers have become negligent. Children have become nonchalant and the nation is saying why not?
To me, the question is no longer, “How did we get here?” If I do, it would be addressing the symptoms and analyzing problems without solution to the root cause. I now ask myself, “In a perverse generation, where it’s often difficult to tell right from the wrong, to pull through the walls of the new agers and keep the faith, how do we ensure our children are not lost in the masses, and how do they fit as repairers of the bridge?”
·         Know the way and be convinced yourselves. It’s often said that you cannot give what you don’t have. We have to know the faith and be defenders of it and it must be backed by conviction and faith in God.
·         Begin a family altar in your home or repair broken ones. Family altar is a place where right or wrong is taught and wholesome issues addressed. A place where thoughts are clarified and questions answered. It is setting out a time to worship God, reading and studying the word of God, an ample time to teach, bond and support our home. It’s not enough to make our children go to church or hang them around like bags in our everyday lives, we are called to teach and disciple them. Genesis 18:19, “For I know him, that “he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Carve out a time in the day to pray with the children and every member of your household including house helps, families and other extended, because they play a huge role on influencing your home.
·         Make a conscious effort to disciple your children and household. Deut 6:7, 11:19, “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” We have to constantly teach our children at every opportunity, in season and out of season, during school days and holidays, in the morning and at night. Don’t just tell them to pray, teach them how to pray. Don’t just say study the word or meditate, teach them how to.
·         Set good examples for your children and the people in your household. It’s easier said than done, but it’s better learnt when done than said. By nature, children do not know how, they need to be taught and it’s achievable by examples and by precept.