Whatever It Costs

We would never throw seeds out into the wind and expect them to grow into a beautiful garden. Similarly, we cannot throw our children out into the winds of culture and expect them to become people of great character and faith. This is especially true when media—the internet, television, movies, and magazines—and cultural values at large take commitment to marriage, purity, and godly character lightly. Both media and our culture scoff at those things and promote the adulation of celebrities such as actors, athletes, and musicians whose lifestyles are immoral and vain and who obviously reject those values.

When God places a child into our arms, we know it is one of the most significant treasures we will ever be given, because what we do to invest in that child’s life will influence the course of history—not just that particular child’s life but that of future generations.

Take the time and pay whatever it costs to be that person in your children’s lives, the one who gives them an appetite for God and the things of God. Make your home a place of real life, beauty, truth, and celebrated relationships, so that when you enter the gates of heaven, you can say to Jesus, “I did all that I could to whisper into the ears of my children the truths and secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to pass on a love for You.”

His Promises

Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.

Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.