You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.     Exodus 20:5-6

This comes from the first two of the Ten Commandments which tells us not to have other gods beside the Lord our God and not to make an idol for ourselves. Our pastor often says that when God says “Thou shalt no or in this version must not…” He is telling us not to hurt ourselves. As a parent, you probably tell your child or children not to do many things like touch a hot stove or stand too close to a fire or cross the street without looking both ways. You do these things to keep your child safe from harm.

You probably try to teach your child things like responsibility because you want them to be a productive member of society. But what do you really want for your children? I want you to think about this because our Scripture passage is scary when you think about it. In this passage it says that God is a jealous God and will punish children for their father’s sins to the third and fourth generation. I remember reading that and thinking how can a loving God do that? I can’t help the sins my ancestors have committed. Why should I be responsible for them? But then I came to realize this is not what is meant. This Scripture means sin is a generational thing. Children tend to do what their parents do. They tend to mimic their parent’s actions. They tend to talk like their parents do.

According to hngn.com Children whose parents smoke are 29% more likely not only to smoke, but to become heavy smokers. This is why it is so important for us to decide what we want for our children or for any child that may be influenced by what they see us doing.

Will your influence on a child be good or bad? Perhaps it will be a mixture. Maybe you have no desire to change your behavior, but you want better for your child. If that’s the case, you better make some changes in yourself. Better to let your child see you make positive changes than to see you continue in your destructive pattern.

People also tend to be comfortable in the type of environment they grew up in even if that environment was chaotic or toxic. Some people need daily drama to survive because they grew up in a household where drama was a constant state of being.

We put a lot of time, money and effort into our child’s schooling and into their sports or extracurricular activities. But if you are not preparing them for eternity, you are doing them a disservice. If you are not teaching them all about Jesus and the great love He has for them, you are failing to provide them with information that is critical to their eternal well-being.

I ask what you want for your children because I thank God that my mom wanted for me to have a meaningful relationship with my Lord and Savior. She wanted me to be a member of a church family in a good, Bible teaching church. She wanted me to attend regularly and be involved in church and serve the Lord. She set that example for me from the time I was a baby. She had me in the nursery and later in Sunday School and church and any other activity that was age appropriate for me at our church. I grew up learning that Jesus loved me. I grew up learning that He died to save me from my sins. I grew up learning all about Abraham and Isaac and Joseph and his coat of many colors. I learned about David and Goliath and Daniel and the lion’s den and too many others to mention.

I also took piano, dance and played softball, but that never was allowed to interfere with my church activities. God always came first.

And you know even today, I am still learning about the Bible. It fascinates me how no matter how much you study it there is still more to learn. I am so grateful that I was able to learn to truly appreciate Bible study. I have a good relationship with Jesus Christ because I watched my mom and my grandmother show me how to do that.

Our Scripture passage also tells us that God will show love faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands. That’s what I want for any child that I influence.

Have a great day!