“The Way”

  • Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” 
  •  
  • John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Proverbs 22:6 ends with a promise of permanence in your offspring. If that promise does not come to pass, it is not God Who is to blame. Neither God nor His Word ever fails. The problem is the parent not practicing some portion of the first part of Proverbs 22:6. If a parent does everything correct in the first part of Proverbs 22:6, the second part of Proverbs 22:6 will come to pass. In this article, we will notice another portion in the first part of Proverbs 22:6 that so easily gets missed. 

Before reading this article, make sure to first read “The Letter Killeth”; “The Spirit Giveth Life”; and “The Nail in the Coffin (Grace)” in the Proverbs 22:6 series. Now, after reading those 3 articles can you see what is missed by many parents with Proverbs 22:6 concerning “the way”? You see, “the way” is often interpreted by Christian parents as a set of religious do’s and don’ts. (Of course, there are also those who think “the way” is material gain, personal pursuits, etc…, and they train their children that way as a result.) These well-intentioned believers think of Christianity and “the way” as the path to God. Oh, but, dear reader, “the way” is so much more! 

Jesus is “The Way”, but this does not mean that Jesus is merely a path nor is He simply precepts, principles, or practices. Yes, He is those, but Jesus is so, so much more! Jesus is a Person; the very Person of God. And Jesus is our Power. Training up your children is not merely guiding them on the path to Jesus. No! It is taking them to the very Person and Power of Jesus! 

First of all, have you trained your kids to have a relationship with Jesus? Are they doing their daily devotions (and enjoying it)? Are you having daily/nightly family devotions (and enjoying it)? In all the years this evangelist has preached to Christian teens at churches, camps and Christian schools, most “Christian” teens do not have a daily devotional time with God. But, dear parents, the teen years should simply be putting the final touches of sending our offspring out for adulthood. Such basic practices as having a personal time with God each day should have been finalized and established when your offspring was a child. And, of course, the very reason why they struggle with having an intimate time with God is because they have no relationship with their Savior. We all want to spend a lot of time with the people we like and love! That means these teens’ parents failed in introducing such an intimate and crucial relationship with their children! “The Way” is the Person of Jesus. 

“The Way” is also the Power of Jesus. Not only can your children not get to heaven without the saving power of Jesus, your children will also not succeed, overcome sin, conquer the devil, live holy, serve the Lord, give their everything for God, without the all-sufficient power of Jesus! Training your children in “the way” they should go is lovingly, patiently guiding them to “the Christ-life”; to the fullness of the Spirit; to walking (habit) in the Spirit; to abiding in Christ, the power supplying Vine. If you are not familiar with these terms or concepts, seek them out with all your heart. Read and listen to fundamental, Baptist preachers like myself who preach/teach these crucial, life-giving truths. 

Dear parent, learn “the way” in which you should go with the Person of Jesus and the Power of Jesus. Then, train your children in these refreshing truths as well. With such potency in their heart and souls, your children will most assuredly not depart.