Friday July 14th 2017 – FOUNDATION: HOW STRONG?

OPEN HEAVENS 2017

FOUNDATION: HOW STRONG? – Friday July 14th 2017

Memorise: Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 1st Timothy 6:19

Read: Psalm 11:3-5 (KJV)

3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

4 The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

5 The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 3-4, Ezekiel 7:23-8:6, Hymn: Sing hymn 16

MESSAGE (Friday July 14th 2017)

The foundation of any building or structure is very important. According to Proverbs 22:6, if a child is given the right foundation, it will be easy for him or her to build on it and succeed in life. The question then is, what kind of foundation are you laying for your child or ward? Do you know that some parents are the ones who push their children into destruction? For instance, if you have a child whose Christian foundation is not solidly established and you send such a child into a society with liberal values, don’t be surprised to see that child follow an ungodly lifestyle. For this reason, when you are considering tertiary education for your child, also put into consideration how that child will access spiritual growth in the institution you want to send him or her to. An ideal school should be able to satisfy the academic, moral, extracurricular and spiritual needs of a child. All these should be well balanced. A child’s foundation is laid from kindergarten to university, after which the child will be able to continue in the righteous path of his or her upbringing. Do your children have a solid foundation in Christ? Is their foundation strong enough to carry whatever will be built on it?

On the other hand, the strength of a child’s foundation is a function of several factors such as: the spiritual level of the parents, the values upheld in that family, the parents’ level of education, the financial resources available to the child, and so on. It is true that you cannot give what you don’t have. The invariably means that as parents, the more you invest in your spiritual life, the greater the chances of giving your children a more solid foundation. Children learn a lot by simply copying their parents. Many parents engage in certain unhealthy habits and their children are watching them. The laughable thing is that some parents who practise unwholesome habits even warn their children not to try such.  To believe that their children will take them seriously is to engage in self-deception. Some men have girlfriends and their children are aware of this, but they beg them never to tell their mothers. Some even bring such ladies home and bribe their children to keep their mouths shut. How can such children ever grow up to become faithful to their spouses? The strongest legacy you can give to your children is to live the kind of life you desire to see in them.

Prayer Point (Friday July 14th 2017)

Father, help me to lay a very solid foundation for every member of my family.