"FASHIONING THE HEART OF A CHILD!"

PROVERBS 22:11-18

Solomon is not being unkind or insulting when he says, "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child." He is simply acknowledging that there is lack of understanding in a child's heart. Nor is he advocating cruel abuse when he declares, "The rod of discipline will remove it far from him." He is merely pointing out that it is clearly a parental obligation to shape, mold, train, discipline the hearts of their children. I want to point out that those who fail to do so out of ignorance or sloth are doing a grave injustice both to the child and to the society of which that child will become a part. A friend once told the poet Coleridge he didn't believe in giving religious instruction to a small child. He insisted that every young person must have an open mind when he chooses his faith. Without replying to his statements, Coleridge invited his visitor into the backyard to look at his garden. The man was surprised to see that part of it was badly in need of attention. "Why, you have nothing here but weeds!" he exclaimed. The poet answered, "I didn't wish to infringe in any way upon the liberty of this plot of ground, so I gave it a chance to express itself and choose its own product." The guest got the point and I hope we all get it, too. What sort of heart should loving parents wish to form in their children? The Proverb instructs in fashioning the heart of a child. Into what should we wish to fashion our child's heart? Let me tell a story to illustrate. There was a little boy traveling with his mother on a train. He was a bright child and unfeigned in his love of Jesus. He was distressed by the vulgarities and crudeness of the speech of those around him in the train. His mother had fashioned the right kind of heart in him. What kind of heart should we seek to fashion in our children?

• WE OUGHT TO FASHION A PURE HEART: V11:
• What is a pure heart?
• One that is unmixed, unpolluted, undefiled, unalloyed by any unChristlike stuff.
• One in which lust cannot reside; in which hatred finds no room; where there is no resting place for selfishness or arrogance; where nothing impious, sullied, unclean, sacrilegious or ungodly can abide.
• One in which there is no attempt to amalgamate worldly standards alongside Christian values.
• One in which there is no compromise of position or conviction for either fear or favor.
• Listen to what the Bible says about the desirability of a pure heart:
• "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully." Psalms 24:3, 4.
• "Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!" Psalms 73:1.
• "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8.
• But how, in the midst of all the New Age, Secular Humanistic, Pluralistic, Permissive societal miasma and junk can one keep pure?
• "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against Thee." Psalms 119:9-11.  Follow the Word obediently.
• "Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalms 51:10. Cry out to God for purity of heart.
• We are cautious not to allow impurities to enter our foods, we are careful with the ecology to keep the atmosphere and the world clean, let's be even more so with regard to the hearts of our children.
• Model for them purity of speech and conduct.
• Show them by example how to shun immorality and pornography and off color movies and literature.
• Demonstrate how to keep the world from encroaching and overtaking them.

The mother of the little fellow on the train wanted to make sure he had a pure heart. And she wanted to make sure this little fellow was firm in his decision to follow Jesus. His favorite chorus was, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back!" His mother had fashioned in him a right heart. What kind of heart should we seek to fashion in our children?

• WE OUGHT TO FASHION A RESOLUTE HEART VV17, 18:
• What is a resolute heart?
• It is a heart that is undivided in its loyalties. It resolves to follow one master and one master alone.
• It is a heart that is directed toward one goal, one purpose and one attitude. It is the heart of Paul who said, "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13, 14.
• It is a heart that does not limp between one opinion and another, that is not blown about by every wind of doctrine, every new revelation and does not turn aside at every whim.
• Having a resolute heart depends upon making a definite decision. We must decide:
• Which world we will invest in: this one or the one to come.
• Which master we will serve: our own desires and material things or Jesus Christ.
• Which values and morals will direct our lives: those of the godless society around us or those recorded in the New Testament.
• It is the attitude demonstrated by Basketball great Bill Bradley. He said, "I'm here to do one thing, and that's to serve my Master, Jesus Christ. It's not the places you go, the people you know, the clothes you wear, the school you attend or the money you make that is the most important thing in life. The big questions are: are you serving the master? Are you living a life that's for him and making this your aim, your goal, your whole life? And if you're not, you're off track."
• We set our minds to do a lot of things; some of them are absolutely wrong, some of them are okay, some of them are even good things. Let us set our hearts, and help our children set their hearts, upon serving Jesus Christ.
• Let them see you keeping faithful to your marriage vows.
• Let them witness you keeping promises when it would be easier and to your advantage to break them.
• Let them see you putting Jesus Christ first in your own life and agenda.

The little boy on the train had a pure heart and a resolute heart for Jesus. And he had something, else, too. There was another family on that train, a mother and her two children. They were obviously poor and the children complained of being hungry. The little boy said, "Mommy, I want to give them my fruit and sandwiches." She started to protest, but then thought better of it. He carried out his wish and shared his good things. You see, his mother had fashioned in him a right heart. What kind of heart should we seek to fashion in our children?

• WE OUGHT TO FASHION A COMPASSIONATE HEART: V16:
• A compassionate heart is one that gives a rip about the needs and hurts of others.
• Here's what the Bible instructs:
• Colossians 3:12, 13 "And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you."
• Ephesians 4:32 "And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
• A compassionate heart goes beyond merely feeling sorry for someone.
• It does what it can to alleviate the distress.
• It seeks to return good for evil received.
• It forgives wrongs suffered. It is Jesus pleading for his malefactors. It is David wishing he had died instead of his rebellious son Absalom.
• In the milieu of all the violence of our culture; in place of the "dog eat dog" world; instead of the "look out for #1" culture, let's engender in our children hearts of compassion.
• Represent for them the paradigm of kindness to others.
• Show them how forgiveness and reconciliation works.
• Demonstrate generosity and sharing.

The little boy's mother had done just that. When the boy had given her the lunch, the mother said, "God bless you, little boy." As he walked back to his seat, the eldest child asked, "Mamma, was that boy an angel?" His mother said, "Oh, no, but he was doing the work of an angel." That's the kind of heart to have; and to cultivate in our children. That is the heart which Jesus creates, and causes to mature within the breast of everyone who truly seeks to follow Him by faith. It is the heart of a child. It is the heart that alone finds acceptance before the God who created us to belong to Jesus. Whatever else you may desire, whatever else you hope to be or do, let this be your ultimate: Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart. Would you sing that as a prayer? God waits to hear it, and to answer it in your life.

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