What if some of the goals Christian parents have pursued for generations need to be reconsidered?

Most parents want the same things for their children: a good education, a successful career, financial stability, and opportunities they may never have had themselves.

Those all sound like worthy goals.

But what if, in pursuing those goals, we unintentionally neglect something far more important?

Today, Christian parents face challenges that previous generations could hardly have imagined. The battle for our children’s hearts, minds, beliefs, and worldview is being fought on multiple fronts—and many young people are arriving at adulthood unprepared for what awaits them.

So what should our highest goal be as parents?

Should success, scholarships, prestigious universities, and career opportunities remain at the top of the list? Or does Scripture point us toward something else entirely?

Today’s reading raises some uncomfortable questions—and may challenge the way we think about Christian parenting, education, success, and what it really means to prepare the next generation.

Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day,” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here or subscribe and watch on YouTube.

Today’s Readings:

1 Kings 9 & 10
Psalm 69.1-4
Proverbs 17.18-22
John 11.30-57

Preparing Children for a World at War with Truth

1 Kings 9 & 10:

The Dangers in Our Educational System

It’s happening on university campuses, in our high schools, and even in elementary and middle schools. And I’ve seen it firsthand.

The attacks on faith and biblical truth have been steadily intensifying. Where they were once subtle and somewhat limited, they are now constant and almost universally accepted by administrators, school boards, and politicians. In many cases, they are being celebrated.

While there are many good, hard-working teachers, much of the time that was once spent on reading, writing, math, true science, and history, is now spent on a curriculum laden with anti-biblical agendas

Instead of learning how to think and reason, our children graduate with a firm grasp on the theory of evolution, the value of every kind of LGBTQ+ lifestyle, and questionable versions of science and history. They have little respect for authority and disdain for traditional Christian values.

Even if we homeschool or manage to keep them somewhat protected from the onslaught through primary and high school, they go off to college only to be hit with a liberal agenda that sounds so convincing and right. Even some of our so-called Christian schools and colleges have compromised the truth to maintain public funds and accreditation, avoid battles with secular authorities, or appear relevant.

Not Entirely New

But the lure of education isn’t entirely new. Solomon eventually fell prey to it (Eccl. 1.12-18), and Paul wrote about it in the first century (Rom. 1.20-22).

God had blessed Solomon with great wisdom—so much so that the Queen of Sheba traveled 1200 miles when there were no jets, no trains, not even cars, only camels, horses, and carts—to see if it was true! Yet, he fell into a lifestyle of sin by ignoring God’s commands about sex, marriage, worship, idolatry, and the behavior of kings.

And Romans 1 tells us:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools (vv. 20-22).

Such is the state of much of our educational system today. The majority of professors, teachers, administrators, and school boards have ceased to acknowledge God as God, and their hearts have become darker and more foolish. If you read the remainder of Romans 1, you’ll see that we are at the bottom of the slippery slope of sin and darkness.

Christian Parenting: A Change in Philosophy

So, what is the answer when it comes to Christian parenting? First, we must realize that a great education, high-paying jobs, and professional careers can’t be our highest goals for our children.

Our highest goal should be to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6.4). This is not a side note or a preface to the bigger goal of sending them off to college, into the military, or out into the business world. It is the goal … our primary assignment.

God has tasked us as parents with the job of preparing the next generation of believers. Deuteronomy 6 says:

⁴ “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

This passage is called “the Shema” and was spoken daily in Jewish households in biblical times. It was so important that Jesus quoted the beginning of it when he was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” (Matt. 22.36-40). And right in the middle of it is the command to diligently teach our children. We’re to teach them to love God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their strength.

Not a Sunday Thing

Loving God is not something we do merely on Sunday. It’s who we are in our inner man (our mind, will, emotions, and desires). It should permeate our understanding of the world at large (our worldview) and our understanding of ourselves and others. That includes morality, basic rights, sexuality, our relationship to God, our purposes in life, and everything else.

That may mean our children would be better off not attending the college of their choice. It may mean investigating truly biblical, if less prestigious colleges. And there are excellent ones. It may mean encouraging our children to delay college until they are more spiritually mature. Or maybe attending a local college or trade school so they can remain at home longer and stay involved in their faith communities. It certainly involves the need for us as parents and faith communities to prepare our children for the attacks on faith and religion.

With younger children, it may mean sacrificing material goods to homeschool or send our children to Christian schools (parents must still choose wisely and stay involved). It means growing in our own understanding of the gospel, the heart, and how to disciple … truly disciple our children.

None of this guarantees that our children will love and serve God. The world is an enticing place. And even with the best possible foundation, our children can still make wrong choices. Each of us and each of them must choose to follow and obey God for ourselves. But we are responsible for being wise, educating ourselves about the dangers, and evaluating our goals for our children in light of God’s priorities and based on His Word. We need to be faithful to the best of our abilities with His help.

The Danger of Wealth

But it wasn’t just his great wisdom that led to Solomon’s downfall. He also abused the wealth and other resources that God so generously provided.

Can you imagine a time in history when the blessings of God were so great that silver was accounted as nothing? The gold that Solomon acquired was measured in “talents.” A talent was 100 pounds and would probably be worth over $5,000,000.00 today.

But we can see how the sinful nature of man can allow even the blessings of God to become a snare. Solomon began to accumulate wealth in a way that he had been forbidden to do. It’s not that it’s wrong to “save” or have money in the bank, or even have material goods. Remember, God gave Joseph the wisdom to set aside stores of food to last Egypt through 7 years of famine, with enough to sell to people from other nations.

But when we quit relying on God and begin to rely on the “strength of horses” and how many “talents of gold” we have stored up, we are setting ourselves up for a fall. Today, it may not be horses, and we may or may not have much gold, but we can easily rely on our retirement plans, 401(k)s, the Social Security System, or the government when God wants us to rely on Him. He is to be our source, and our trust is to be in Him, no matter what means He uses to meet our needs.

Once we begin to focus on things other than God, we can easily be drawn into greater and greater sin. In tomorrow’s reading, we’ll look at the downward spiral of sin in Solomon’s life.

A Great Source of Information

One of the best sources of information about what is happening in the world today, including the worlds of education and business, the religious world, and national and international politics, is The Briefing by Dr. Albert Mohler. You can listen to his podcasts on your smartphone or on his website. I encourage you to check it out. It’s more than a great resource for Christian parenting; it’s a great resource for every believer.

Dr. Mohler doesn’t shy away from challenging and controversial issues, and others that are helpful and informative. A while back, he had a segment entitled “Passing on the Faith Once for All Delivered to the Saints, Starting From the Home,” an apologetic for Christian parenting. And he frequently talks about events in the educational community at every level of education.

According to his bio:

Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. serves as president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary – the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world.

Dr. Mohler has been recognized by such influential publications as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. In fact, Time.com called him the “reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S.”

You can read more about Dr. Mohler here.

By the way, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s sister school is Boise College. They provide a wide variety of degree plans with a solid biblical foundation.

What Are Your Thoughts About Christian Parenting & Education?

Is it possible that many of our public schools and institutions of higher education have become too dangerous a place for our young people? Has the combination of a deceptive anti-biblical agenda and perhaps our failure to prepare them placed them at too great a risk? What are your thoughts about Christian parenting in the culture we live in?

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 69.1-4:

Up to Your Neck in Problems

Have you ever felt like the psalmist—so overwhelmed with problems that you felt like you were “up to your neck in them”? Here, the psalmist was even falsely blamed for being the source of the problems. Tomorrow, we will see that despite it all, the writer kept his eyes on God, knowing He would vindicate him in due time.

Proverbs 17.18-22:

Co-Signing Loans

A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, and becomes surety for his friend (v. 18).

The word “understanding” is often used in Proverbs and means “the ability to process information.”

This verse is about “co-signing.” So we could paraphrase it, “A man without the ability to process information co-signs for a friend.”

That’s pretty clear.

Besides not being the wise thing for us as co-signers, it is usually the wrong thing to do where the other person is concerned. There is often a reason they are unable to purchase something on their own: their age, their income, or past decisions, to name a few examples. Too often, we get in the way of God’s work in their lives and allow them to get in over their heads.

There may be a few exceptions, but they are the minority.

John 11.30-57:

Anger or Belief

In chapter 11, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead after he had been in the grave for four days. It caused some to believe and others to plot to kill him (11.45, 53). The same is true today. While God’s handiwork is everywhere, those who choose not to believe are not only not persuaded, they are sometimes angry at the suggestion that He is at work!

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about the slippery slope, the danger of bad advice, why consequences are important in parenting, the trouble with America, exhaustion, disappointment, and discouragement.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out the latest videos on our YouTube channel.

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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years.

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)