by Angela Moreno

This can be answered by taking a long, hard look at society today.  Moral decay is all around us.  What used to be considered abnormal is now normal.

Movies, television, and music fill our heads with ideas that are not morally acceptable.  The celebrities we idolize, the way they dress, and how they carry themselves in public are emulated and adored.  Teens think this is how they are supposed to behave to be accepted.  Even the stories the media pushes down our throats have an affect on our families.

During this time of moral decay, it is more important than ever to bring our children up in church. With the outside pressures of this world and peer pressure, children must be armed with the knowledge of who God and Jesus is and an acceptance for what is morally acceptable.

The formative years between ages 4-14 are when the majority of people come to Christ. The National Association of Evangelicals conducted a study. During this study, they determined that “nearly half of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior do so before reaching the age of 13 (43 percent), and that two out of three born again Christians (64 percent) made that commitment to Christ before their 18th birthday” (National Association of Evangelicals).

Even if we chose to raise our children in church, disobedience and a lack of discipline go hand-in-hand. The story of two fathers is told in 1 and 2 Samuel. In 1 Samuel, we hear the story of Eli. He is a beloved priest that many admired and respected. Eli’s two sons were also priest but were known for their disrespect of the Lord and his instructions. Eli chose to turn a blind-eye to the sins of his sons and did not discipline them for their disrespect of God. Because of Eli’s lack of discipline, God took matters into his own hands. Eli and both of his sons were struck dead on the same day (1 Samuel 2:12-26, 1 Samuel 4:12-22).

David was known as a man after God’s own heart. However, David struggled as a father. An incident between three of his children caused division in his family. His son Amnon attacked his half-sister Tamar. This vicious attack caused a rift between the two and their brother Absalom. David chose to ignore the entire situation.  A couple years later, Absalom took murdered Amnon for attacking his sister. Again, David chose to ignore the situation. Absalom fled Israel but returned two years later to came back to overthrow his Father’s kingdom (2 Samuel 13-15).

These stories show us what a lack of discipline can do and the devastating effects. We must not turn a blind-eye to our children and must discipline them as needed. A complete lack of discipline only contributes to the decline of family values.  As Proverbs 13:24: Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them. We must teach our children that there are consequences for bad behavior and not living a Godly life.

Family values have been diminished today, but are not fully lost.  We will always have hope and can always be ready move from where we currently are to wherever we need to be so we can be with God. We must continue to push our children to be Godly and to not follow the path of the world.