“… from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.”
II Timothy 3:15
Paul is writing to Timothy, his spiritual son. (He refers to him in I Timothy 1:2 as “my true son in the faith.”) Thanks to the faith of his mother and grandmother, Timothy knew about God and knew the Scriptures from an early age.
But, of course, God has no grandchildren. At some point, Timothy believed for himself (II Timothy 1:5). He accepted the gift of salvation that comes by grace through faith.
Like Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s mother and grandmother, we can ensure our children know the Word. We can take them to church to hear the Word. We can play Christian music and buy them Christian books. But, of course, none of that will save them. They must come to sincere faith in Christ on their own.
We can do everything within our power to make sure our children know the truth—and then each must choose to bend their knee to Jesus.
Perhaps you are a woman who did not come to faith yourself until your adult years. Maybe you have adult children that have rejected your faith. Do not let the enemy rob you of peace and joy for today. Do not take on illegitimate guilt. The past is done … confess anything you need to confess, receive His forgiveness (I John 1:9) and then move on! Forgive yourself, sister friend!
Choose today to pray. Pray intentionally and unceasingly for your child, whether he/she is an infant, a child, an adolescent, or an adult. If there is life, there is hope. Pray and keep on praying!
Lord God Almighty, thank You for the gift of salvation! Jesus, thank You for the magnitude of Your great love demonstrated at the Cross and the unmatched strength of Your mighty power demonstrated by Your resurrection. O God, thank You for loving me enough to die for me. Let my child see that you love her and died for her, too. Convict her of sin. Draw her to yourself. Overwhelm her today with Your great love. Let today be her day of salvation!
Have you downloaded this month’s free Write the WORD bookmark, 30 Prayers & Verses for Our Children? You can claim your copy here, and we pray that it will bless you by providing prompts that spur you on to pray—and keep praying—for those you love!
I would also like to invite you to join this year’s ladies Bible study in I Corinthians. It’s not too late to join in person or to follow along with our weekly lessons online. This week’s video features an introduction to the study. We invite you to view the first week’s teaching here:
I loved the example of the tennis balls and our time management.