January 16, 2023
Monday
Start Early
Deuteronomy 6: 4-9
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Gardeners stake their tomato plants and trellis their cucumbers when the plants are young. People begin training a puppy in the ways of the home when it is young. Many musicians testify that they started playing an instrument when they were young. Proverbs 22:6 is a piece of ancient wisdom that reflects that general principle: Setting a child on the path of righteousness early in life is the best way to ensure that the child will walk that path as an adult. Proverbs 22:6 is not a guarantee, but it is a general rule.
The phrase “train up” in this verse is used often in the Old Testament to refer to dedication or consecration—altars, the temple, city walls, and so on. A dedicated person was one who was trained and experienced in his assigned task (Genesis 14:14). Therefore, with children, training begins with parents dedicating, or committing, their children to God with the goal that the children will become trained, or experienced, in godly living.
Dedication, and the resulting training, happens daily. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is Scripture’s best illustration of that process.
A point to ponder…
The secret of home rule is self-rule, first being ourselves what we want our children to be.
Andrew Murray
Read the Bible through in a year
I love you!!!
© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich