GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN

Text: Proverbs 22:6 ESV
Title: Get Them While You Can… Raising Up
Generation
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

1. The Proverb.
     First of all, we need to understand
     that  Proverbs 22:6 is not a promise; it’s        a proverb… a wise saying.
   
    A. Not a Promise.
         As we know, there are no guarantees            in raising children. There is no magic
         formula that says:
                      A + B will always =  C
        Every child has an individual will, and
        with that will they choose whether or
        not they will walk with the Lord.

  B.  A Proverb.
       Proverbs 22:6 is not a promise; but a
       proverb of possibility. A proverb is a   
       wise saying. Solomon wisdom is that if
      we do all we can to raise our children
      in the Christian faith, the possibility is
      that they will remain in the faith once
      they grow older.

2.  The Process of Parenting
      Proverbs 22:6 train up a child in the way
      he should go: and when he is old, he will
      not depart from it. The awesome
      privilege in parenting is to help our
      children choose the right way in life. The
      Bible teaches us that there are two                 ways each of us can go:
   
     A. The Way of The World .
     B. The Way of God.

Our job as parents is to help our children choose the right way, which is the way of God.

A. The Way of The World
One of the mistakes many parents make is to underestimate the influence of the world has upon our children. Statistics children between the ages of 2 to 5 years typically spend approximately 21.8 hours each week watching television that works out to approximately three hours each day or 25% of their time awake and the average of older children is exposed to over 50 hours per week of television or some other form of distraction, such as social media. In addition, the average trial spends at least another 30 hours a week with friends and peers many who aren’t Christians. Compare that to less than 100 hours a year in church and it’s not hard to see where the greater potential for influence lies. The average child is constantly being bombarded with worldly doctrines of life that is completely opposite to biblical Christianity.

The Bible says… Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right unto man, but
 in the end thereof are the ways of death.

B. The Way of God.
     1. According to the Way of Wisdom.
        There is the way of the world, and
        there is the way of God. God’s way is
        the “way of wisdom. “
        Proverbs 4:1 I have taught thee in the
        way of wisdom; I have led the in the
        right paths.

The goal of every parent is to help their children understand and embrace God‘s wisdom. But how do we do that? How do we raise a child according to God‘s way?

2. According to the Way of The Child.
There is also another interesting perception for interpreting Proverbs 22:6.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

“The Way “ can mean “God‘s way “, and it can also mean “the child’s way. “ Train up a child according to the child’s way. What does that mean?

“We receive our children from the hand of God, not as self, parable, lumps of clay, ready to be molded into what we think they should become. Each child comes with a set of abilities, and intellectual capacity, and a way of perceiving and thinking, all of which were endowed by God.

a. The Two Bents of a Child.
    It might be said that every child has two
    bents –
– A bent towards good
– A bent towards bad

b. Train Them According to Their Bent.

1. According to Their the Bent Towards
   Good

Children aren’t born perfect b Stories ut they are born with a great deal of innocence. Small children have a natural hunger for the things of God. They love to read Bible stories and to hear about Jesus. Therefore, we as parents need to do all we can do to cultivate that good that is in the hearts for as long as we can .

How do we cultivate the good? Again we refer back to our passage of scripture –

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.