Proverbs 6:20
My son, observe the commandment of your father, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
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Today’s bible verse, drawn from the Book of Proverbs, reveals one of the most significant problems in the church in our times, at least in the western world. It is apparent and taken for granted that children should have received God's word, His commandments, from their fathers along with godly teaching from their mothers. It is also unfortunately apparent today that if that does happen, it is the exception rather than the rule!

So, let's take a look at the rule! That is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments that the Lord God commanded Moses to teach His people in order that they, their children and their grandchildren would keep His Word. They were (and we still are) commanded to love the Lord our God with all (read that as ALL) our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might. That is immediately followed by his saying that we must then teach those things diligently to our children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. {Deut.6:5-7} Obviously, that would be ALL the time!

Unfortunately, not only does much of the church today fail to teach that, but changes it to make it more pleasant, more acceptable, to those who as when many of Jesus' disciples left Him because His words were too difficult. {Jn.6:60}

For example, a very popular ‘bible’ today (Message) changes Proverbs 6:20 in order to make it more palatable, more acceptable to those Paul wrote to Timothy about. {2Tim.4:3-4}
Rather than being addressed to us as children, family, it now becomes written to a 'good friend'. Rather than being a commandment requiring obedience, it now becomes 'good advice' for you to take or leave. In the church today “disciple” is out, “mentor” is in! By the way, Mentor was a person first appearing in Greek mythology in Homer's Odyssey. He was appointed as an advisor to Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, king of Ithaca. P.S.: God does not make suggestions!

It is primarily the responsibility of the fathers to bring up their children in the ways, the commandments of the Lord along with godly mothers who are the suitable helpmates. If you enjoy music with a message perhaps you would enjoy hearing the first song ever written by Willie Nelson—‘The Family Bible’!

My prayer for all of us today is that having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, {Heb.12:2} we would now, regardless of cost or consequence, be not just hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word. {Jas.1:22} Those are the words that Jesus spoke so that we would have, live and share, that which brings His joy to us—our joy made full. {Jn.15:11}

“Thy words were found and I ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16)

THY WORD IS A LAMP TO MY FEET