In the beginning God created the earth and all that is in it. We all are familiar with the first chapter of Genesis the first book of the Bible. Somehow I think we don’t really realize how important the first three chapters of Genesis are in laying a foundation for truth and faith. In these chapters we learn how God created man and then because he was alone God created woman out of man’s side. She was to be his helpmate and partner.

Adam was created with both male and female qualities because God has both male and female qualities and Adam was made in the image of God. When God separated them into man and woman they were the perfect complement to each other. They fit perfectly together with man carrying the seed of God within his loins and with the woman’s womb the receiver and bearer of the life of God within her. This was God’s design.

As parents they were to instruct their offspring/children in God’s ways and what He required of them. But as we know from the story, God also gave Adam and Eve free will or the ability to choose whether or not to follow God and obey His instructions. They choose poorly and the rest is history. So now each generation must make that choice for themselves. But they cannot make that choice in a void. The world teaches a valueless and relativistic belief system that creates a void. That is why parents are instructed to teach their children.

God’s plan when followed would have created an atmosphere for sustainable faith, peace and prosperity for each subsequent generation. That way the knowledge of God would grow with each generation and each generation would bring forth greater advancements so that more and more people would have opportunity to prosper and live in peace. However, this did not happen and as a result each generation is now faced with starting over instead of having a rich spiritual heritage to build upon as God intended.

The good news is that never before has our history been more available through books and websites. This makes it much easier for this generation to learn from past generations. In other words, playing catch up is easier but not easy. The hardest part is in making the firm commitment to educate ourselves for the pure benefit of the next generation. This not only takes a firm commitment but sacrifice on our part to follow this process through to completion. Our children and grandchildren will not learn these principles unless we diligently teach them. Not just teaching them but by setting an example of Christian responsibility in every aspect of our lives including our civic involvement.

If we are faithful to do this we will be able to not just teach but actually impart God’s principles and truth to the next generation. By our example they will then understand that it will be their responsibility to pass these on to their children and grandchildren. I can’t stress enough how important this is.

Honestly, it is not easy and it will require holding truth as the highest standard for your family. God believes in tough love and as parents we should pattern our parenting style after God’s love for us. He speaks the truth to us and when we decide to accept the world’s lie and go our own way, He still loves us but he never accepts our sin. If He did accept our sin then He would only be enabling us to continue to live the lie that leads to death. We should not be willing to enable our loved ones to continue to live a life that will lead down a pathway of eternal death.

Is it worth the effort? Yes, absolutely! God sacrificed His only son because He loved us enough to do all in His power to be reconciled to us. He knew that many would not receive that sacrifice but He believed it was worth the sacrifice. How can we ignore His example of unconditional love? We owe it to the next generation to set the example.

Dinner Table Discussion Question: What is our first step towards instilling the knowledge of God’s principled way of living into our family? What are we willing to sacrifice in order to do this?

Next Week: Do You Want to Dance?