DB 2 – replies
Hi,
Thank you for your post. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this week’s subject. I agree
with you that when reading Proverbs 22:6, it is somewhat difficult to determine if it should be
taken as a promise or a principle. I also understand why some people look at it or think of it as a
promise. It sounds like a promise! I am a practical example of Proverbs 22:6. I am a son of
divorced parents, and my mother had to raise my brother, my sister, and me by herself, but she
was not a follower of Christ. We were Catholic by birth but did not even practice Catholicism. I
grew up a mess, and soon things got out of control in our home. I ended up living with my
grandparents for three years, and they taught me about Jesus Christ. They were people of
character and had a robust belief system. They talked about God with us and took us to church
three times a week. I know discipleship is more than that, but I am trying to make the point that
they took the time to teach us about Jesus and planted a seed. I left after three years, joined the
armed forces, and lived under the world’s influence most of my life. In the end, after reaching
fifty years of age, I came full circle and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.
Looking back and in a way, what my grandparents taught me did not depart from me, but
it took for me to decide to accept it. Dr. Burrell said, “every child must decide what they would
do with truth.”1 I guess, to your point, it is a promise that what we are taught will not “leave us”
but will remain in the deepest part of our spirit. However, my grandparents could not make that
decision for me. In my case, it had a great ending, but I know of others where it had not. As Dr.
Tripp wrote, “You must entrust your children to God. How they turn out will depend on more
than what you have done in providing shaping influences. It will depend on the nature of their
Godward commitment.”2
Hi,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this week’s post with us. I agree that this Proverb
verse is a principle by which Christian parents should live. I also agree that other Proverbs prove
beneficial for the parents, reminding them that discipleship is their responsibility. For example,
Proverbs chapter one says, “Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your
mother's teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck” (v.v.
8-9, English Standard Version). Indeed, they provide excellent guidance for believers.
As you mentioned, many parents are not disciples themselves. They cannot bring their
children under God’s discipleship if they are not disciples. Being obedient to the Lord and His
authority allows them to bring their children under the obedience and authority of God. Dr. Tripp
stated, “You are both under God’s authority. You have different roles but the same Master.”3
Parents are God’s agents in providing the Lord’s essential training and instruction to their
1 Dan Burrell and Lynn Wray, “Parents as Disciple-makers” (DSMN 610 Course Video Presentation)
Liberty University Online, Lynchburg, VA, September 17, 2013, 12:20,
https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/2167581/uiconf_id/39959791/entry_id/1_9sb
p3wmf/embed/dynamic
2 Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Second Edition (Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, 2005), 209.
children. That places them under God’s authority as well. In other words, they cannot give what
they do not have. The most crucial point is that those are God’s children placed under parents'
care. And as Dr. Burrell says, “God is never limited by what we lack.”4
3 Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Second Edition (Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, 2005), 29.
4 Dan Burrell and Lynn Wray, “Parents as Disciple-makers” (DSMN 610 Course Video Presentation)
Liberty University Online, Lynchburg, VA, September 17, 2013, 11:38,
https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/2167581/uiconf_id/39959791/entry_id/1_9sb
p3wmf/embed/dynamic
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