Have you ever not known if something was right or wrong? The importance of knowing came home to me when I took our grandchildren bowling. As the electronic scoreboard tallied each of our scores, Logan, our oldest grandson, asked how strikes and spares are tallied. It had been a long time since I’d kept a bowling score and couldn’t remember. Logan looked at the scoreboard and concluded, “It’s scoring it right.” Then he paused, looked at me, and said, “but we don’t know what right is.”
We Don’t Know What Right Is
Logan’s words struck a chord in my soul. I knew his words were more true than he realized and could be said about more than bowling. “We don’t know what right is” could be echoed in homes across our nation and world. Many have never heard of Jesus or been exposed to Biblical truth.
What Is Right
If you’re reading this, you know where we find truth: in the Bible. For instance, the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) tell us what is right. It is right to honor God above all. It is wrong to put other things or people before Him. It is wrong to take God’s name in vain. It is right to take time during the week to rest from work and worship God. It is right to honor our fathers and mothers. It is wrong to dishonor them. It is wrong to take another person’s life. It is wrong to commit adultery. It is wrong to steal. It is wrong to lie. It is right to tell the truth. It is wrong to covet what others have.
God’s right and wrongs govern our lives and relationships well. They are heaven’s insights into how to live with God and one another.
Not Everyone Knows What is Right
My husband is a state district judge. Many who stand before him were raised in homes where right and wrong were not taught, modeled, or enforced. There is an increase in Biblical ignorance. Therefore people do “what is right in their own eyes.” If daddy beat mother, then son is likely to beat his wife. If mom lies and steals, then the child has that as a pattern for their life. If parents do drugs, why would a child not use drugs? A case in point is one day, Keith had before him three generations of a family in jail – grandmother, mother, grandchild.
Are We Teaching Our Children What Right Is
Logan’s comment is a chilling statement if we think about it. Even in Christian homes, are we making sure our children know what right is beyond the Ten Commandments? Do we know what “right” is? What is right can be found in God’s word.
- Are we teaching our children Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount? (Matthew 5-7)
- Are we teaching them to not sin when they’re angry? (Ephesians 4:26)
- Are we teaching them to be kind to one another, tender-hearted? (Ephesians 4:32)
- Are we teaching them that it is right to forgive and wrong to be unforgiving? (Matthew 18:21-22)
- Are we teaching our children to pray instead of worry? (Philippians 4:6)
- Are we teaching them that the Holy Spirit is a gift and we’re to walk by the Spirit? (John 14:16, Galatians 5:16)
- Are we teaching them the difference in the fruit of the Spirit and the deeds of our fleshly nature? (Galatians 5:19-25)
When our children grow up and face difficulties in relationships or at work will they know how to deal with them or will they say, “but I don’t know what is right.”
Give Your Children the Gift of Knowing What is Right
God’s ways are higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9) If we are wise, we will teach our children what “right” is according to Him. That way, when they leave our home and are in relationships, they can look at situations and instead of saying, “I don’t know what is right,” they will be equipped to say, “I know what it is right to do.”
Will we give them the gift of knowing what is right?
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the Bible that shows us the right way to live. Inflame our hearts with passion to teach our children what is right.
