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viltglance02
Guest
Raising Children
Deut. 6:5-7 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. [7] "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." [NASB-U]
I want to warn you right at the start of this Thought to Ponder, that there may be some unsettling things contained in it. I want to share some personal experiences as a way to make a point. God's commandment to teach our children about Him is very important and I want to open myself and my past up to you in order to show that vividly. I deeply regret many of the actions I will relate. I would do anything to be able to go back and change the past, but I can't. I am exposing my shame so that God can use my past to touch hearts. In no way am I bragging about or proud of those past sins, but I want to be completely honest about them. To God be the glory, I am humbled that He would love a sinner such as me. I also want to make sure that you understand that I believe with all my heart that if I had died during this time of rebellion against God, I would have spent eternity in hell separated from God and His love.
I grew up as a Preacher's kid. My Father was a pastor in the Missionary church. It is a small denomination and was part of what was called the holiness movement. My parents never drank alcohol or smoked. I never heard a curse word in my home or come out of my parents' mouths. I was shown love and kindness. We did not have much as far as material things, but we were rich because Christ lived with us. I heard and understood the salvation message from the time I can remember. My parents lived out what they preached. I gave my life to Christ at an early age. Unlike many people, I can't tell you exactly when that was, but I think I was about 7 years old.
I joined the Marine Corps when I was 19. It was the first time I had been away from home for an extended period of time. At this time (1973) the drinking age was 18. I soon made friends and we started going out to the enlisted club on base. I started drinking and smoking cigarettes. Was it just peer pressure? No, not really, I thought these things were cool and enjoyed not having to answer to anyone about what I was doing. My language became as bad as any Marine you have ever heard.
I lost my virginity to a prostitute at a 'club' we used to visit on weekends in Charleston, South Carolina. My life was in a tailspin, but I didn't realize it. I had rejected Christ as my Savior, but again I didn't realize it. I can remember coming home so drunk that I had to place one foot on the floor and hold the curtain with one hand to keep the room from spinning. But I never forgot to ask Jesus to forgive me for my sins before I went to sleep. I wanted to make sure that if I died or if He were to return during the night that I would spend eternity with Him. I am proof that it is easy to fool yourself into thinking you can pull the wool over God's eyes. I had no desire to change, I enjoyed my life and the next day I would just start all over and end the day asking for forgiveness, feeling no remorse for what I was doing. Little did I know that James had described me perfectly two thousands years ago:
James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Deut. 6:5-7 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. [7] "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." [NASB-U]
I want to warn you right at the start of this Thought to Ponder, that there may be some unsettling things contained in it. I want to share some personal experiences as a way to make a point. God's commandment to teach our children about Him is very important and I want to open myself and my past up to you in order to show that vividly. I deeply regret many of the actions I will relate. I would do anything to be able to go back and change the past, but I can't. I am exposing my shame so that God can use my past to touch hearts. In no way am I bragging about or proud of those past sins, but I want to be completely honest about them. To God be the glory, I am humbled that He would love a sinner such as me. I also want to make sure that you understand that I believe with all my heart that if I had died during this time of rebellion against God, I would have spent eternity in hell separated from God and His love.
I grew up as a Preacher's kid. My Father was a pastor in the Missionary church. It is a small denomination and was part of what was called the holiness movement. My parents never drank alcohol or smoked. I never heard a curse word in my home or come out of my parents' mouths. I was shown love and kindness. We did not have much as far as material things, but we were rich because Christ lived with us. I heard and understood the salvation message from the time I can remember. My parents lived out what they preached. I gave my life to Christ at an early age. Unlike many people, I can't tell you exactly when that was, but I think I was about 7 years old.
I joined the Marine Corps when I was 19. It was the first time I had been away from home for an extended period of time. At this time (1973) the drinking age was 18. I soon made friends and we started going out to the enlisted club on base. I started drinking and smoking cigarettes. Was it just peer pressure? No, not really, I thought these things were cool and enjoyed not having to answer to anyone about what I was doing. My language became as bad as any Marine you have ever heard.
I lost my virginity to a prostitute at a 'club' we used to visit on weekends in Charleston, South Carolina. My life was in a tailspin, but I didn't realize it. I had rejected Christ as my Savior, but again I didn't realize it. I can remember coming home so drunk that I had to place one foot on the floor and hold the curtain with one hand to keep the room from spinning. But I never forgot to ask Jesus to forgive me for my sins before I went to sleep. I wanted to make sure that if I died or if He were to return during the night that I would spend eternity with Him. I am proof that it is easy to fool yourself into thinking you can pull the wool over God's eyes. I had no desire to change, I enjoyed my life and the next day I would just start all over and end the day asking for forgiveness, feeling no remorse for what I was doing. Little did I know that James had described me perfectly two thousands years ago:
James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
