Numbers 32:26-27
Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith.
The two-and-a-half of Israel that wanted to stay on the other side of the Jordan River made a great mistake that eventually cost them their families. When they chose not to go over to where God wanted them to go but to stop short of the Promised Land, they chose to teach their children not to follow God by faith. When they said that they would leave their wives and children home as they went to fight the battles to win the Promised Land, they were robbing their wives and children of the blessing of seeing God perform the miraculous through their lives, which eventually caused these families to turn from God to other gods.
One of the great mistakes among families is that the husband or the wife is the only one serving the Lord while everyone else stays home. This mentality will cause you to lose your children. I often hear people say that they don't want to lose their family for the ministry, but I say that I don't want to lose my family to the world because we are not in the ministry together. God never intended for one family member to serve Him while the rest sit at home; He wants the whole family to serve Him together.
My wife and I have parents who were in the ministry our entire childhood. We have both watched other preacher’s children grow up and go the way of the world, and we have discussed why this happened because we did not want this to happen to our daughter. The one common denominator that we found was our dads got us involved in the ministry with them. Our dads did not serve the LORD as we sat at home and played in the world, but we were by their side nearly every day as they served the LORD. Yes, we went to school, but our dad’s got us involved with them in the ministry. When we looked at others, we saw their dads leave them at home as they gave much time to serving the LORD, which created a disconnect between the children and the LORD.
One of the great secrets to turning children out right to serve the LORD when they become adults is to have them serve the LORD with you when they are children. My dad did not ask me if I wanted to come with him; he would tell me to come with him. I know some parents say that they don't want to force their children to serve the LORD, but what are you going to do, let them choose to play in the world so they can become worldly? The greatest mistake you can make is never to let your children serve at your side with you as you serve the LORD.
My friend, your children need to see the struggles of the ministry as well as the great victories that come through those struggles. Your children need to be by your side as you pray and ask God to help you so they can appreciate the victories that come from those prayers. Your children need to appreciate what God has given you because of your labors to conquer your Promised Land, but they will never appreciate it if they are not serving the LORD with you. Your children need to know the battles and victories of the ministry that come by faith, but they will never know them if they are sitting at home while you labor for God. Let me challenge you to make serving God a family affair. Both parents serving the LORD with their children by their side is the greatest hope of turning children out to serve God when they become adults.
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