Throughout history there have been people who once followed God but somewhere along the way turned back and no longer follow Him. Just take the nation of Israel for example. Israel had been repeatedly warned by both, Moses and Joshua, and yet, after the dead of Joshua, there arose a generation who did not know God (Judges 2:10-13).

One might quickly wonder what went wrong? How did this once proud nation of God’s people, find themselves as a generation “Who did not know God?” It appears the people failed to appreciate the repeated words of God.

Sadly, not a lot is different today. More and more people who were brought up in “Christian” homes are turning their backs on God. Floods of young people are leaving the church and walking away from Jesus. What can be done to stop this exodus?

1.  RESPECT GOD AND HIS WORD. If we want young people to love God and His Word, we must demonstrate our respect of God’s Word by taking time to read it (Psa. 119:97). If we are honest, few of us probably read the Bible like we should. Instead of treating God’s Word as a letter with purpose, too many of us treat it as an ancient historical document that has no place in our lives. Young people need to see our love and respect for the Bible through our fervent study.
2. LISTEN AND OBEY GOD’S WORD. It is not enough for us to just read what God says, we must also do what we read. Ultimately, listening and obeying His word means we live differently from the people around us. There will be things the world says yes to that we say no to and vice versa (Gal. 5:19-24). Young people need to see our obedience to God’s Word.
3. TEACH GOD’S WORD. Church attendance cannot replace biblical instruction in the home. As parents, we must diligently talk of God and teach His ways to our children. The more opportunities we take to teach, the greater our influence will be on our children (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14-15). Let’s not rely only on what they are hearing in Bible class, let’s be proactive in teaching them ourselves.

Parents, grandparents and concerned members of the church, a lot is riding on whether we are teaching our young people to love God and His word. If we are, that’s great, let’s keep it up. However, if we aren’t, why not? Friends, what’s the soul of a young person worth to you?

Now that’s Something to Think About!