As many of
you know, our daughter-in-law Danielle gave birth to another girl, Kendra
Mally. She must be either stubborn or
shy, since she didn't show up when expected.
She was nine days overdue, which partially explains why she weighed in
at 8 lbs, 14.5 oz. Not a typical Johnson
baby. She is a very cute little girl
with a nice head of hair.
The arrival
of Kendra marked the arrival of our sixth grandchild. Each one is precious to us, and also precious
to our Savior. Formed by the hand of
God, who put within her an eternal soul, so why wouldn't God care for His little
helpless creation? This innocent newborn
has been blessed by God, who gave her to loving parents who will care for her
physically, but more than that, she has been born to parents who will care for
her spiritually. I have seen them with
their first-born, Nicole. Although only
18 months old, the evidence of godly upbringing is evident in her life. As a grandfather, I rejoice to see that, and
to know that her little sister will have the same upbringing.
In this post
my charge to all my children and the rest of you who are reading this is that
you will take to heart the words of Moses in Deut. 6:4-9. First we are to love the LORD our God with
all our ability, then we are to diligently teach God's Word to our children:
when we sit in our houses, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when
we rise up. In other words, this is not
something reserved for a couple hours on Sunday. No, this is 24/7. And in order to teach our children well, we
should know what we are teaching. God
did not give us His Word to collect dust on the shelf. I suggest that you dust it off, and read it,
learn it, and diligently teach it to your little ones. Their minds are sponges, soaking up what is
before them. It is up to you as parents
to determine what their little minds will be filled with.
Actually, as
we enter into 2014, we should make this a New Year's resolution. I am not big on New Year's resolutions, but
occasionally I will make one, and try to remember to keep it throughout the
year, but often forgetting to do so. But reading
the Bible should be daily, and can soon become a habit. And teaching your kids the Word of God should
never be dull or a drudgery. Make it
enjoyable and geared for their age-level.
Although you may read a Bible story before their bedtime, this teaching can and
should be done throughout the day, often in a casual format. I think that God expects and wants that. We should make talking about Him and the
Bible a natural part of our lives and conversation. And our lives ought to demonstrate the love
we have for God.
My prayer
for all young parents is that you will purpose to love God with all your
ability and that you will train your children in His way. If you do so, God promises that His Word will
not return empty.
