Neglecting God-Given Responsibilities

By Bonnie Ricks, This Day's Devotional Monday, November 28, 2005

Adonijah would have fit into the world today very well. He had grown up without parental interference. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, never having been taught limits or boundaries or discipline. David, his father, had been the greatest earthly king Israel would ever have. His throne was eternal. Through David's line, Jesus would be born. But David, in his commitment to rule Israel according to God's direction, had neglected to teach his own son how God's direction applies to his individual life as strongly as it does that of a nation. While David had fulfilled his responsibilities to the nation of Israel, he had neglected his responsibilities to his son, Adonijah.

So many children today are growing up like Adonijah, without direction, without guidance, without God. In school, they are taught "conditional ethics" - a set of precepts for behavior that teaches children that there is no right or wrong because behavior is governed by circumstance. At home, many are left to fend for themselves, having parents who are too busy, too preoccupied, too uninterested to give and to stick by clear guidelines that are based on God's Word. Their primary guidelines for family life are dictated by television. And their guidelines for professional behavior are found in rock and rap stars and in national leaders who are, one after another, shown to be immoral and without character or ethics of any sort.

In order to grow into mature, secure, well-balanced and productive adults, children need to be taught God's principles by their parents, and to have living illustrations of those principles through their parents. They need to develop the security of a healthy self-image that can only be found in the unconditional love of Jesus and of their parents. They can have all these things with parents who get their priorities straight - God first, family second, church and work and the world last. Healthy, God-directed children start with you and me.

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“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 11:18-19 (NIV)

From Dogwood Ministries, Inc.
J-R-and-Bonnie@dogwoodministries.org

Used with Permission