Give Your Children A Spiritual
Heritage
By Senior Pastor Prince
Guneratnam
Some very meaningful spiritual
lessons are found in Second Kings chapter two. These can help parents wee the
value of teaching and training their children for life here and in the
hereafter. The chapter begins with Elijah and Elisha on a journey. Each place
that Elijah took Elisha to has a great spiritual significance. These thoughts
can be presented in a family relationship context because Elisah called Elijah
“Father” (II Kings
In the relationship between
Elisha and Elijah, I see same struggles parents have brining their children up.
Parents want to help their children avoid all hardship, if possible. Though
Elijah was reluctant, yet he was willing to take Elisah along. This is the
responsibility of all parents. Children must be given the opportunity to learn
hardship and experience God for themselves. To do so, children model parents.
On Father’s Day, Shawn Wong
a young Royal Ranger, recited a poem entitled, ‘That Boy’ to the congregation.
It reads like this:
He wants to be like his dad:
You men, did you ever
think as you pause,
That the boy who watches your every
move
Is
building a set of laws?
He’s moulding a life you’re that
model for,
And
whether it’s good or bad
Depends upon the kind of example you
set
To
the boy who’d be like his dad.
Would you have him go everywhere you
go?
Have
him do the things you do?
And see everything that your eyes
behold,
And
woo all the good you woo?
When you see worship that shines
In
the eyes of your lovable little lad,
Could you rest content if he gets
his wish
And
grows to be like his dad?
It’s a job that none but yourself
can fill;
It’s
a charge you must answer for;
It’s a duty to show him the road to
tread ’ere
He
reaches his manhood’s door,
It’s a dept you owe for the greatest
joy
On
this earth to be had:
The pleasure of having a boy to raise
Who
wants to be like his dad.
Billy Graham once said,
“Each generation is responsible to reach their own generation for Christ. God
will not hold us responsible for the next generation.” We can, however, help
contribute to the success of the next generation. We may all not be parents in
the natural, but as members of the local Church, we can be spiritual parents to
the many spiritual infants and toddlers who are looking up to us as spiritual
models.
Like good parents, we ask
our children, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” (II
kings 2:9).
Also like Elisha, our
children are saying to us, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit” (II
Kings 2:9). Dare we respond like Elijah did, “You have asked a difficult thing,”
Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours –
otherwise not.” (II Kings
Elijah said, “Observe me”.
The answer was simple, but what a responsibility! Do we dare ask our children
to observe us as parents in times of temptations, trials and blessings? What
will they learn from examples?
Let us take a look at
Elijah’s journey with Elisha. There are spiritual truths to learn from this
significant journey.
The Journey Began at Gilgal
Elijah and Elisha started at
Gilgal, the special place where the children of
What was the reproach? The
children of
Circumcision is one of the
types used in the Old Testament to teach spiritual truths. In the Old
Testament, circumcision was a physical sign to a people who had a covenant with
God. In the New Testament, the demarcation is not of the flesh but of the
heart. In the book of Romans,
There are at least 3 truths
or important lessons we can draw from the significance of the Old Testament
circumcision.
·
As parents, our
first responsibility is to lead our children to salvation. They first need to
believe on Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Saviour and Lord. God has no
grandchildren. They have to know God as their personal heavenly father. The
reproach of sin must be dealt with. Only Jesus can help us deal with the sin
problem in our life.
·
Secondly, we
cannot depend on the flesh. We have to depend on the Holy Spirit and be totally
submissive to Him. We have no strength, wisdom and power of our own to adequately
handle the flesh life. We need Jesus to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and to
empower us (Acts 1:8).
·
Thirdly,
circumcision teaches that there is no secrecy with God. Nothing is hidden from
God’s sight. Everything is laid bare before His eyes (Hebrews
These are vital truths our
children need to know and believe.
After Gilgal,
What is the significance of
Finally, the crossing of the Jordan River
It was the River Jordan,
that John the Baptist baptized Jesus (Matthew
The greatest fear of mankind
is death but Jesus had already conquered it (Matthew 28:1-7). Death is not to
be feared. It is not a stumbling block but a stepping stone.
Here are 3 biblical lessons
to teach our children about death:
·
It is the means
of putting on the new body (1 Corinthians
·
It is the way to
be present with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8).
·
Death has no
sting (I Corinthians
The other side of death is
heaven, a city whose Builder and Maker is God. We as parents must talk about
heaven to our children. It is a glorious place and a great reward. The Bible
has a lot to say about heaven (Revelation 21). Jesus taught about heaven by
using many parables. It is a real place. We are going there as believers when
we leave this wicked and sinful world. We should show that we believe in heaven
by the way we live.
The journey concludes with
Elijah being taken away by the chariots and horses of fire (II Kings
Issue 10, October – December
1990