"I HAVE NO GREATER JOY THAN TO KNOW MY CHILDREN WALK IN THE TRUTH" - 3 John 4

First, Second and Third John were all written by the disciple John in the later stages of his life.  They were written to encourage believers (who might be listening to false teachers) to continue obeying God's commands.  He spoke about TRUTH, refering to the teachings of Jesus, as the means to discerning right and wrong.  These people were not his biological children, but he loved them as if they were and he knew the path that would be best for them...walking in the TRUTH.

Don recently taught a parenting study based on the book: MODERN PARENTS, VINTAGE VALUES by Trevathan and Goff.  In it, they talk about how technology (i.e. cell phones, social networking, internet, games, etc.) has so changed parenting today, making it much more difficult to raise Godly children.  But the TRUTH of God's word has not changed.  In the book, the authors name nine character traits that I believe are worthy of praying for our children:

--kindness (Ephesians 4:32)
--compassion (Luke 10:30-37)
--forgiveness (Luke 6:37)
--gratitude (2 Cor. 9:10-11)
--integrity (Proverbs 11:20)
--responsibility (Col. 3:23-23)
--patience (2 Peter 1:5-7)
--confidence (Psalm 18:29)
--manners (John 13:34-35)

Like John, we must continue to point our children toward TRUTH.  Our boys are 23 and 24.  Our youngest son, Alex, just got engaged to lovely Laura.  Our prayers for them are still that they would walk with the Lord and follow His ways (TRUTH).  By His grace, they are growing in their love and knowledge of Him.  We have made many mistakes, but the Lord has shepherded them when we have failed.

These childen are not given to us for our enjoyment - they are given to us to "train them up" in TRUTH and send them out.  Our joy comes when they make the choice to "walk in truth".  We must not find our life in our children, we must send them out to be life to a dying world.  John Ortberg says "parenting is the one job in which success is measured by making yourself obsolete."  How successful are you?

For further study:  Deuteronomy 6:7-9, Psalm 19:7-11, Proverbs 22:6, Isaiah 45:19, John 1:14, John 8:32, John 14:6, John 16:13, Romans 1:25, 2 Thess. 2:9-12.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly