This past week, I had the opportunity to spend some time in conversation with a local elderly man. Although I had only met him one other time, he began talking at length about his three children. He went into great detail about their employment, where they lived, and their families. While he was talking, I was reminded of a verse from the Bible that he was proving true. III John v.4 says, “I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in truth.” Truly, when one nears the end of his life, he is not so concerned with the education and career he has invested years in. Nor is one so enamored with the wealth and things he has accumulated. What is most important in the life of many people is their children and grandchildren.
As a father myself, I am beginning to understand what it means to have joy and pride in seeing my children grow up. The Bible says, “The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.” (Proverbs 23:24) But at the same token, what can be a parent’s joy can become a parent’s greatest disappointment. As children who walk in truth bring the maximum reward to the heart of a parent, so a child who strays from the truth brings the greatest sorrow. Proverbs 17:25 says, “A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.”
As I meet elderly folks in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, I see that they have very little as far as materialism is concerned. But interestingly enough, those who have trained up children to fear the Lord and love God, have eternal treasures invested in Heaven. Their children’s memory lives on and the reminders of their true joy is the pictures adorning their walls. Indeed, there is no greater joy for those who have children walking in truth.
As I consider many of the youth today, I see how they are willful, selfish, and rebellious. Many have no time for their families, and neglect the instruction of their parents. So many parents are suffering from broken hearts because their children have chosen a path of destruction. These young people are a disappointment instead of a joy. Sadly, many of these youth were never taught the truth of God’s Word and instructed in the way of righteousness. Many Godless parents set themselves up for a broken heart because they will not take their children to church. The Bible has no place in the home, and prayer has no priority. No wonder we are seeing a generation of young people without truth. They are fed the garbage of this world and we wonder why they turn out to be junkies! Many parents have done themselves an injustice by withholding the truth from their children and now suffer the pain and disappointment of seeing their children wander in the error of this world.
May we turn back to the Bible and read the truth once again. If you are a child of God, remember that each time you sin, you break the Father’s heart. Why not obey the truth and become His greatest joy!
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