Dangers facing our children
Parents want to protect their children from harm.
Although my children are grown, I still sometimes have nightmares
in which I see my children threatened by some danger, and I am
frantically trying to protect or rescue them.
Good parents take every precaution they can. But
there is a limit to what we can do. There comes a time as our
children grow older when they must assume responsibility for their
own safety.
God also wants to protect His children from harm.
And because He has given us the great gift of independent
personality, we too must assume responsibility for our own safety,
with the ready and willing help of our Father in
heaven.
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always
obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for
it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good
pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you
may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you
shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so
that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain
or labored in vain” (Philippians 2:12-16).
This is what we wish for our children, “that you
may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,” and this is what
God wants for all His children.
In this crooked and perverse generation our
children are surrounded by grave dangers, three of which are
materialism, immorality and apostasy.
Materialism
The most fundamental decision man makes is
whether he will build his life on temporary materialistic values or
on eternal spiritual values. The two roads lead in opposite
directions.
“Do not love the world or the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but
is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it;
but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John
2:15-17).
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our
outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day
by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is
working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the
things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are
temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal”
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
By word and example, we want to teach our children to avoid
the danger of materialism. It is a dead-end lifestyle.
Immorality
Through the centuries the ship of many a man or
woman of faith has been smashed to smithereens on the rocks of
immorality.
In this crooked and perverse generation the enemy
of God has developed temptation to an amazingly effective art of
deception.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith” (1 Peter
5:8, 9).
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he
will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Apostasy
Many good religious people will be eternally lost
because they did not remain faithful to the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit, because they departed from the original faith of the
New Testament.
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to
you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write
to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was
once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in
unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation,
ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and
deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 3, 4).
Jesus warned: “Not everyone who says to Me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does
the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons
in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will
declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me you who practice
lawlessness. Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and
does them, I will liken to a wise man who built his house on the
rock: and the rain descended, floods came, and the winds blew and
beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the
rock. Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do
them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and
beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew
7:21-27).
Most religious people worship God man’s
way rather than God’s way. All such worship is vain, and
leads to destruction, as Jesus told the pious Jews of His day:
“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These
people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their
lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’” (Matthew
15:7-9).
Apostasy seldom happens suddenly. It results from
gradual drifting away from the original form of the Christian
faith. Smooth talking false teachers and false prophets come in and
lead people away from the word of God.
“Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to
the things we have heard, lest we drift away” (Hebrews
2:1).
“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause
divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned,
and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus
Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering
speech deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans
16:17,18).
Conclusion
We and our children must strive to “become
blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst
of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15). We must
withstand and overcome the many dangers to which we are exposed,
three of which are materialism, immorality and apostasy.
May God help us.
Roy Davison
The Scripture quotations in this article are from The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Published in The Old Paths
Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)