Devotion Led Away

From Listen! Who Me?Read: Colossians 2:6-10Beware lest any man spoil you throughphilosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.--Colossians 2:8 (KJV)Gramma took my kids for fast food as a treat.They brought home demon-like figures that they foundin their kid’s meals. At school, my children listened toteachers talk about the evolutionary stages of the earth,animals and people. In some classroom sessions andgym, they were encouraged to use Yoga and meditationtechniques.Even when we raised our children, occult symbolsbegan pervading popular cartoons, movies, videos andmusic. Then and now, media ads tout materialistic“things” as the foundation for happiness. Today, thesemedia sources bombard even young children withlifestyles that lead them down very dark paths.How does a parent shield their children, protectingthem from such non-biblical influences, when I find itdifficult to shield myself? I sought ways to deal with thesituation in practical, Godly ways. I wanted to teach mychildren to be aware and to stand against falsephilosophies and stand up for God’s righteousness andtruth.I found the first step was to keep my personal relationship with Jesus Christ up-to-date and to, daily,saturate myself with His Word. We cannot share God’sprinciples if we do not know what they are.Second, we need to live our lives in such a way asto be an example to our children. That means beingcareful in what we allow into our minds and hearts.What we see, say and do matters.Part of being an example, is having a familydevotional/study time each day to fill the hearts offamily members with God’s Word and to help them solveproblems with God’s principles.Third, we need to pray with our spouse and familyto help our children know how to take their needs toJesus and to learn the power of prayer.Fourth, tackle problems, if possible, before theyarise outside the protection of our homes. Early on, myhusband and I tackled subjects of creation and sex.When our son Chris entered first grade, I sharedinformation on creation and evolution and told what webelieved and why. One day he returned home fromschool. “The teacher did it,” he announced with somedisgust. “She told us the world was millions and millionsof years old.”“Umm. What did you do?”He shrugged, “I said, ‘It’s only thousands.’”“To your teacher?”“Na.” Chris snorted. “Not out loud. I didn’t wanther to be embarrassed.”A small incident maybe, but Chris’ stand oncreation did get around and offered us the opportunity towitness to his teacher.Lord, I cannot isolate myself or my family from allthe evil in the culture or world around us. Help me,instead, insulate my family with Your Word and byencouraging a growing relationship with You. And, whenI’ve done all I can do, help me trust You to keep ussafely in Your care. Amen.Meditations:Monday: Luke 21:8-15Tuesday: I Peter 5:5-9Wednesday: I John 4:1-6Thursday: Colossians 2Friday: Philippians 4:4-9Saturday: Ephesians 6:1-6By Carolyn R Scheidies