{"id":983,"date":"2015-02-25T03:24:27","date_gmt":"2015-02-25T09:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/focuspressblog.com\/?p=983"},"modified":"2015-02-25T03:24:27","modified_gmt":"2015-02-25T09:24:27","slug":"50-billion-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2015\/02\/25\/50-billion-question\/","title":{"rendered":"The $50 Billion Question"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quick poll before getting into today\u2019s article:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. If you could, would you like to leave $50 billion for your children or grandchildren when you die?<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Do you plan on doing so?<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to go ahead and assume that many of you are going to answer \u201cyes\u201d to the first question. But, unless by some random chance Bill Gates or Warren Buffett recently started reading the Focus Press Blog (in which case I\u2019d like to direct their attention to the \u201cDonate\u201d tab), I\u2019m going to assume that every reader is going to answer question #2 with \u201cno.\u201d But why say no? If it\u2019s something you want to do, why not plan on doing so? <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the answer is quite obvious – you probably don\u2019t have $50 billion, and you can\u2019t give something that you don\u2019t have. With that thought in mind, let\u2019s take a second poll. <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Do you want to teach your children a love of God that is the foundation for everything they do in life?<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Do you plan on doing so?<\/span><\/p>\n

In the same way that a parent can\u2019t give his children $50 billion if he doesn\u2019t have it, it\u2019s just as ridiculous for him to think he can have children who grow up to love the Lord if He doesn\u2019t have that love at the center of his own life. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Consider the verses usually mentioned when discussing the training of children. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, Deuteronomy 6:6-7 calls for fathers to pass on God\u2019s ways every single day in their houses, but if you go back one verse, you notice that what Jesus called the greatest commandment comes first. You are to start by loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, and might, and from that basis you teach them to do the same. You can\u2019t effectively teach them what an all-consuming love for God looks like (or why it\u2019s important) if it\u2019s not something you strive to make part of your own life each day. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re a Christian parent, you have to ask yourself two final questions: <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Do I love God? <\/span><\/p>\n

2. Am I teaching my children to love Him?<\/span><\/p>\n

If God\u2019s Word is not regularly opened in the home, if prayer is not a part of family life every day, if gathering with the church is not prioritized over activities such as sports or academic pursuits, the message will be sent that you don\u2019t love God that<\/i> much, so they won\u2019t feel like it\u2019s a big deal, either. Our Focus Press “Why I Left the Church” survey showed that a majority of \u00a0those who have abandoned the church actually attended Bible class and worship regularly. It’s not that the ones who fall away are simply from disengaged families. Instead, the truly telling statistic was that almost 75% said the Bible was opened in their homes one to two times per week or less. If parents aren’t determining that they and their houses will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15), it’s not just going to magically happen, even if they are regularly attending with a church. Again, you can’t pass on what you don’t have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, parents can\u2019t force their children to do or believe anything, but it\u2019s so important that they do everything in their power to emphasize the importance of a relationship with God and make the distinction between a life with God and a life without Him as clear as possible. If, like me, you\u2019re either single or married but don\u2019t have children yet, don\u2019t wait for that time to come. Start now. Take time for study, praise, meditation, and prayer in your life and let God\u2019s Word guide your decisions. That’s what every life needs, and it will be that much more helpful should you be blessed with children someday. If you\u2019re a parent, you can start saving up something so much more valuable than $50 billion to pass on to your children. You can give them an understanding of what it means to love God and live for Him – but only so long as you make that a part of your own life.<\/span><\/p>\n

By Jack Wilkie<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jack Wilkie is the author of \u201cFailure: What Christian Parents Need to Know About American Education\u201d<\/a> and is the speaker for Focus Press\u2019s \u201cThe Lost Generation\u201d seminar. To schedule a seminar at your church, contact jack@tampaseo.expert.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Quick poll before getting into today\u2019s article: 1. If you could, would you like to leave $50 billion for your children or grandchildren when you die? 2. Do you plan on doing so? I\u2019m going to go ahead and assume that many of you are going to answer \u201cyes\u201d to the first question. But, unless […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,52],"tags":[506,382,120,23,507,63],"class_list":["post-983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all","category-family","tag-christian-family","tag-deuteronomy-6","tag-family","tag-jack","tag-joshua-2415","tag-parents","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nThe $50 Billion Question - Focus Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2015\/02\/25\/50-billion-question\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The $50 Billion Question - Focus Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Quick poll before getting into today\u2019s article: 1. 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