We cannot expect our children to be great disciples if we are not great disciples first
“ Ryan , act like a man . Live the Code !”
These words ran through Ryan ’ s mind as he sat in the barracks with his fellow Marines , preparing for his weekend pass in the city . He had heard those words hundreds of times from his father and mother . They were the last words his mom said to him as he headed off to the first day of junior high and the last words he heard as he went out the door on the first day of high school . “ Ryan , act like a man . Live the Code !” were also the last words he heard from his father as he boarded the bus headed for boot camp in San Diego .
The weekend was taking shape in the plans of each Marine . Some of the locals were meeting up with family . Like Ryan , most of the men in his company were not from Southern California . Most were planning on filling the weekend with sensual desires : meeting girls at the beach in Oceanside , hitting the bars around Camp Pendleton , and yes , the strip club .
Ryan had made his mark through boot camp and now at the School of Infantry . He had excelled in all phases of training and graduated at the top of the class . He was a leader among leaders , and now he felt pressure to join the party . It was relentless . The temptation was real ; the jesting was intense . However , at that very moment of temptation , the Holy Spirit used the training and instruction of his father and mother : “ Ryan , act like a man . Live the Code !”
Fathers , let me be blunt . Have you trained your sons and daughters to have a fighting chance in the world ? This is a fact : Satan will be working to seduce and destroy them . The Bible warns us , “ Be of sober spirit [ think clearly ], be on the alert . Your adversary , the devil , prowls around like a roaring lion , seeking someone to devour . But resist him , firm in your faith …” ( 1 Peter 5:8 – 9 ). We do not need to look far to see the damage that Satan , the world and the flesh have done to destroy us , our families and our friends . The carnage is all around us .
We do not need to look far to see the damage that Satan , the world and the flesh have done to destroy us , our families and our friends
Sadly , Ryan was one of the few to have a godly mother and father who loved him enough to warn him and prepare him . And yet , this should be the norm for Christian homes . The Lord commands , “ Fathers , do not provoke your children to anger , but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord ” ( Ephesians 6:4 ).
10 CRA today / www . christianretailassociation . org