Black and White issues #1

I am shocked!  I walk around and people are confused.  Good Christian people who do NOT know the truth that the Bible teaches.  This is not going to be one of those judgmental blogs where I point fingers at people who live differently than I do and then say they are wrong for not living and believing the way I do.  This a blog about TRUTH and how we are failing at knowing it, leading in it, and teaching to our children.

There seems to be a growing population of Christian parents who have decided to "let their children figure it out on their own".  These people are parents who have stopped teaching the truth of scriptures to their families and started letting the world teach it.  They seem to sit back and pray and pray some more for their kids all the while their kids are raising Hell (quite literally) all around them.  I am not saying that praying doesn't work.  I am saying that only praying, is laziness. We as humans starve for education we starve for teachings. If we as parents aren't the ones teaching our children, then someone else will. We have to lay a foundation of truth and consequences. We will most definitely reap what we sow. And we must teach them that they will also reap what they sow. We must sow Truth into the lives of our children.Or we and they, will reap the consequences of our failed parenting.

In the next couple of blogs I will write about some of the truths that I feel like we have failed to teach.  These are BLACK AND WHITE issues in the bible that we are sliding over and ignoring.  If it's just my opinion...I'll tell ya.  But if it's black and white....you'll know it.

1. LYING- Exodus 20:15  You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

 Lying is wrong.  A little bitty white lie. WRONG!  Calling in sick.  That's a lie. Getting your kids to answer the phone and say that you aren't home....LIE.  Faking a headache....LIE   Embellishing a story...yep that's a lie too. Going out to eat and saying your 9 year old child is 8 so they can eat off of the children's menu...Lie.  Chubby old Man who comes down the chimney and brings toys..... You get the point.

What we think is if no one gets hurt then it's not hurting anyone.  What we don't realize is that it is crushing the very foundation of our character.  Proverbs 12:22 The Lord detest lying lips but He delights in those who are trustworthy. We are detested if we are liars.  Even if no one sees what we are doing, even if time passes and we don't get caught.... God sees,God knows, and he detests lying lips.

If we parent in such a way that we are tolerating those little lies, the big lies, the seemingly insignificant lies, then we are setting our children up for failure.  We are teaching our children that God tolerates that sort of stuff.  When it is very BLACK AND WHITE that He does not.

I think the most important things that we can know and teach about Lying is that #1 No lie is ok.  (not even the small ones) #2 God forgives and his mercies are new everyday. Lamentations 3:22-23  Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  And when we screw up He will still love us and forgive us.

If we as parents live lives that are above reproach then it will raise the bar for how are families are to live.  We MUST be different than what they see in the world.  We MUST guide them and show them the TRUTH.  We as parents are our children's first example of God.  We teach them how to see God.
We became missionaries the day that we became parents.  Do not fail them! Teach them.

~LL