Prayer and Proverbs - Day 22 of 31

Read Proverbs 22.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 ESV)

So is training our children to be disciples of Jesus your pastors's ultimate responsibility? Your youth director's responsibility? Your child's Sunday school teacher's responsibility? Your Christian school teacher's responsibility?

Add up the hours a church worker or Christian school teacher would have in discipling your children, with specific religious training, in a year's span. Let's even be generous and work with 48 hours in a year. 2 days versus 363 days. Those 48 hours are certainly valuable, spiritually enriching, and biblically instructive. But consider the greater impact parents/guardians have with their children to be Christ-living, Jesus-teaching influences in their lives in those 363 days of the year.

Quite practically, Martin Luther wrote The Small Catechism in “plain form in which the head of the family shall teach them to his household.” The answer to the above questions is “No”. Rather it is the ultimate responsibility of parents/guardians to train up children as Jesus' disciples.

Pray over this responsibility. What is your next step investment in training up the child(ren) God has brought to your life?