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Parenting by Design - July 14

No guarantees

1 Sam 8:1, 3:  "When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel…  But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice" (NIV).

The Godliest parents in the world are not guaranteed Godly children.  Why?  Because children are free will creatures living in a fallen world just like their parents.  They have the choice to follow our example and the instruction we give them, or not.  Few would argue that the prophet Samuel walked with God as faithfully as most men.  Yet, his children turned out so poorly the people demanded a king to replace them as judges.  Samuel's example and faithfulness were honored by God in many ways, but they were not reflected in the choices of his children.

Parenting is a journey with an uncertain destination.  We can't count on a good result just because we are faithful.  There is no formula that will assure you your children will follow Jesus.  You must place your trust in God, surrender your children to Him, follow God's will the best you can, and leave the results to Him.

You must trust the result of your parenting to God.



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