August 9, 2024

Train Up Your Children and Yourselves

Christy and I have 4 daughters. When they were very young, we started teaching them 3 very basic but critical lessons: 1) listen for the sound of my voice, 2) come when I call, and 3) do what I ask the first time. These are necessary things to instill in every child for them to learn respect for their parents and be obedient. As they got older, we continued to teach these very simple lessons because they needed to be reinforced as they grew and matured. The teaching didn’t always look the same as they grew up due to their ages and maturity levels, but the expectations were still there. Our goal as parents was for them to eventually apply these teachings to their relationship with God. If they can learn to respect the authority of Christy and me in these ways, and we teach them about the authority of God and the scriptures, then they can show respect to God in the same ways.

The scriptures tell us that faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Long before our children could understand the scriptures, we taught them about the authority of God. Then, when they “hear the sound of God’s voice” through the scriptures, they will listen because they respect the authority. Today, are you listening for the sound of God’s voice through His word?

The scriptures tell us that God is calling us to Him (Matthew 11:28) and salvation is found in no one but Christ (Acts 4:12). Having accepted the authority of God and then learning that He is calling them to Him, our goal was for our children to “come when I call”, to move toward God, to pursue Him. Today, are you heeding the call of God? Are you moving toward Him and pursuing Him?

The scriptures tell us to remain obedient (Luke 6:46-49). After listening for the sound of His voice and coming to Him, our final goal was for our children to “do what I ask the first time”, to be faithful and obedient. Today, are you remaining faithful and obedient to God?

These 3 lessons are a recipe for faithful, Christian living. I encourage all of us to teach them to our children AND practice them ourselves.

About John Seibel

John Seibel was born in ND and attended the Bismarck church of Christ after being converted in 1981. After graduating from high school in Bismarck he attended Harding University for 2 years where he met his wife, Christy. From Harding he transferred to the University of TN in Knoxville in 1989 and finished his electrical engineering degree. He and Christy were married in 1990 and started attending the Karns church of Christ in 1991. They have 4 daughters, including a set of twins. All of their daughters either graduated from or are currently attending Freed-Hardeman University. Their oldest daughter, Lindsey, and her husband, Justin Porter, live in Little River, Kansas, where they attend both the Lyons church of Christ and the McPherson church of Christ where Justin preaches and teaches part time and Lindsey is a nurse at a local hospital. Their middle daughter, Mary Beth, and her husband, KJ Moore, live in Katy, TX, and attend the Katy church of Christ where KJ is the associate minister and Mary Beth is in graduate school at Faulkner University. Their twins, Emily and Jeanne, are currently sophomores at Freed-Hardeman University. John has been a working member of the Karns body since 1991. He has actively supported the education program by teaching elementary and middle school classes, and was a helper to Christy in the pre-school program teaching the cradle roll and 2’s classes for many years. He and Christy have also coordinated and run the story room for VBS and Forever His. He has worked in the sound room, supported mission trips to Honduras and St. Croix, chaperoned countless youth retreats and events, coordinated the communion program, and prior to becoming an elder, was the deacon over the women’s programs at Karns.