Before we get to today’s article, I just want to mention that am writing from the perspective of a man that has experienced many of the challenges of which I write…. and those spiritual battles continue daily. The articles are implications of what it means to obey the commandment to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. They require some reflection and are particularly for Christians who, as Peter would say, are diligently seeking to confirm their calling and are making every effort to supplement their faith. Said more succinctly, serious Christians. If you know other believers who desire to walk more faithfully with the Lord, please forward an article to them and tell them to sign up for future articles. Thanks so much!
Saturation And Marination Will Happen. Your Preference: The Scoffer School Or The Christian School?
Most Christians know and love Psalm 1. Let’s listen to God’s word to refresh our minds:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Every Christian parent would want the first part of this Psalm to be a descriptor of their son or daughter, but how and when will that happen? Well, we go back to God’s instructions again found in the early chapters of Deuteronomy and we find that it is the diligent, non-stop efforts of parents to teach the things of God every day, throughout the day that by God’s grace, will bring forth an adult that will be “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
I like to cook on the grill on a regular basis and it reminds me of a beautifully marinated filet mignon. I like to think of my grilling as biblical (note a smiley face here). First, there is the saturation of the meat with as much marinade as needed to cover the surface of the meat, and can be absorbed. However, even if I use the correct volume of marinade to facilitate a change, I know I will see no change in the meat unless I give it time. Time is required for the marinade to permeate the meat and change its composition.
You probably shouldn’t tell your kids that this is the way you think about their education, but I hope that you will get the analogy. God’s way for Christian parents is to bathe their children in God’s truth with as much volume as possible (saturation) and after many years (marination) of diligent training, expect that God will bring forth a person that, “delights is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
But raising children God’s way isn’t just the positive proactive things that we are to teach; it is also the things that we are to keep away from influencing our children. In the Bible, God commanded His people to not follow the ways of the other nations for fear that they would love their ungodly ways and chase after their false gods. In our modern world, Christian parents must consider the environment in which their children are being educated every day, all day long. Christian parents must not allow their children to walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers.
What are scoffers? The Bible has a lot to say about scoffers but if I were to condense the meaning, I would say scoffers are fools who reject the authority of God. There are many behaviors that are manifested in the scoffer, but all of them are rooted in a rejection of God.
Now you may think that I am going to tell you that public schools are filled with scoffers and by any means necessary, you need to extract your child from that school. I am not. Scoffers can be found at the public school and the Christian school.
You may think that I believe that every kid that goes to a Christian school gets saved and every kid that goes to a public school is doomed. I do not. Our gracious God chooses to save kids wherever they attend school. But we do know that the Bible teaches that a person comes to God through hearing the Bible, so I do believe that children ought to be where the Bible is taught.
This article is NOT about any of the people who work at or attend the local public schools. This article is about thinking deeply concerning the sending of Christian kids to be immersed in an educational system that scoffs God, and how that system is entirely against what God has commanded parents to do with their children’s education. You will not find anything in the public school system in any subject in any grade level that talks about the one true God and gives glory to Him. There the children are being saturated and marinated with teaching that is absent of God and the consequences are profound.
By the way, when I talk this way about public schools, some people become very angry, even Christians. They may feel like I am being hateful towards those they are connected to in the public school. Some are angry and take a personal offense because someone they love teaches or has taught in the public school. Some are angry because they have their children in a public school. Some are uncomfortable because they don’t like it when anyone is critical of anything.
To those who may react that way, please know that I mean no offense and I encourage you to look at the facts before us and here are the questions that must be answered: Is it true that the public school system in America teaches our precious children without teaching about God? Does it in fact, teach things that would train children away from Christian thinking? Is it devoid of reverence for Christ? What are the truthful answers to these questions?
When discussing this incredibly important topic of Christian parenting and the saturation and marination that is going on in the schools, I have also found that many fine Christian parents of public school children respond to the discussion with unfounded or false notions of what is true. To help parents think through those false notions or myths, I created a podcast show called, “The Most Popular Myths Christian Parents Believe.” The link to that recording is below and in this week’s email. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-critical-considerations/id1678162250?i=1000605184115
I also have put a link to the recording that I introduced last week (Ten Ways To Harden A Child’s Heart Toward God) below and on this week’s email. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-critical-considerations/id1678162250?i=1000605063213
If you would like to peruse all of the recordings on the Cherish Ephesians 6:4 Podcast Channel, click here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/cherish-ephesians-6-4/id6449722161
I pray that you will take the time to think deeply about your child’s education as you seek to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
Thank you for reading or listening!
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Last modified: June 9, 2023
