SCRIP-BITS

Proverbs 22:6.    Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.
 
Ah Friends, welcome to the world of the lonely writer, especially when he doesn’t know what to write. (smile) Contrary to what many may think when they see all the celebrity authors out and about, writing is indeed a lonely profession, because you spend so much time alone, either putting ideas together, doing research, and finally trying to put it all into an interesting, readable format. And today that’s getting even more difficult because the world wants something new and fresh and thrilling every day. That’s the new norm, and that’s also partly why there is so much rubbish out there being passed off as writing. Everybody with a computer can call themselves writers now. But like everything else that’s too free and available, the standards are getting lower and lower daily. Now, it’s no harm to admit, that even in this supposed action age, most of us live boring, humdrum, repetitive lives, that’s why we hunger and thirst after the exciting lives that the new-age celebrities are supposed to live, as portrayed by the media and all its machinations. But Friends, a lot of that is indeed media manipulation, and what we should really be hungering and thirsting after is righteousness, as Jesus said in the Beatitudes, (Matt.5:6) because then we’ll truly have an exciting life of our own, we’ll truly be filled. When righteousness becomes our goal, then we’ll have something solid and worthwhile within ourselves to live by, and won’t have to live in a world of make-believe, where we put the mostly dumb, immoral, uneducated, insipid, ungodly, evil lifestyles of today’s rich and famous up on a pedestal and worship them as idols, as we’re currently doing. Now I don’t know where all of this is leading to, but it’s where I was guided when I asked the Lord for guidance. But it’s truly sad to see so many of our young people get so caught up in the nonsense of this modern society, and don’t have a clue as to what real life is all about. Unfortunately we can’t blame the ungodly, media, business and everybody else for this sad state of affairs. We the parents have to accept a sizeable portion of the blame too, since it’s obvious we never raised them up as we should have. That means we have not followed our Bit. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ And we cannot dispute that fact Friends, because most of us were raised properly, and though we occasionally got off-track, we never really strayed far from the straight and narrow. As the fellow in the song says – I don’t remember his name or the song title – but he declares that though he didn’t live the way God wanted, he never forgot His precepts, so when times got real rough, he knew exactly whom to turn to for help and forgiveness. Unfortunately though, too many of our children and young adults don’t have a clue about the precepts of God. What a glaring shame my brethren! And I like how the scholars explain our Bit: ‘Train up a child refers to the total process of moulding a child’s life. The word train (chanak) comes from the root meaning to “put into the mouth” and implies the idea of conditioning the palate. Thus, parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God. The biblical pattern of effective parental training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline (cf. Eph. 6:1-4). The ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritarian nor overly permissive. Rather, he must balance LOVE and discipline so as not to ‘provoke’ his child to rebellion. When he is old means simply, “when he is grown up,” or a mature adult. It does not refer to his elderly years. The verse stresses the simple principle that education in the home forms the man throughout his lifetime.’ And is that last line a gospel, eternal and living truth, or what my people? What the children learn at home is indeed what’s going to be the basic foundation of their entire lives! What did the old people say? Charity (LOVE) begins at home, or something to that effect. In fact, most of what we learn at home sets the direction for our lives, starting in the early formative years, when we’re very innocent and very impressionable. Oh Friends, I’m chuckling now, since I’ve finally found out where my earlier rambling was leading. And all I can say is ‘Praise the Lord, for He is indeed worthy to be praised!’ He promises never to leave or forsake those who come to Him in sincerity for help, and I can certainly testify to His faithfulness because this Bit today was written, more than most days, through His help and guidance. But getting back to our topic. It’s surely disappointing to see the falling standards and values of our young people in almost every aspect of their lives. However, on a more positive note, remember, while there’s life, there’s always hope, and it’s not too late for us to work on some of our adult children, even if it’s only through prayer. And for the younger ones, we can make a conscious effort to point them in the right direction. We’ve made a total mess of that duty my people. So let’s see if we can make some amends nuh, by at least raising the young ones right. Oh my brethren, we’ve been given another chance, let’s use it to stop the talking we’re so good at, and instead truly pay attention to what’s happening in our families, with our children. It’s the only way we can be assured that Christ’s church will live on long after we’re gone. That’s why God gave us the Ten Commandments and why He specifically told the Israelites, through Moses: ‘And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.’ (Deut.6:6-9) Sadly my people, we have not complied with those instructions as fully as we should have done, and now we’re experiencing the negative repercussions. Remember the basic law of God; whatever you sow, you shall reap. And now we’re reaping the negative harvest that we sowed through our disobedience and rebellion. But regardless of our misdeeds, we can’t give up now, we’ve got to keep plodding onward and upward, for that’s the ‘never give up’ nature of Christ’s followers. So, since the Good Book says that the Word is gained by hearing, let’s ingrain it in our children from day one nuh, by reading it to them, even if they’re too young to understand. That’s the best way to build a strong, successful foundation in the Lord. Much LOVE!…pity the children…as Jesus did…teach them to pray from an early age…