Teaching Good Manners: Part 1

Agur, an ancient sage who lived around the time of King Solomon, decried the lack of respect, purity, humility, and sensitivity that he saw among his own peers or the younger generation of his day. His observations are recorded in Proverbs 30:11-14:

There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
There is a generation -- oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up [in arrogance].
There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.

In commenting on this text, John MacArthur writes, "These proverbs condemn various forms of unwise behavior and are connected with this common phrase which points to the fact that certain sins can permeate a whole society or time period." Indeed, we are this very day living "in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we as Christians] shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15). Therefore, as Christians, we do not want to be characterized by the same traits as the unbelieving world. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:3, "Let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints."

If you look at the Proverbs text, you'll note that the deplorable conduct of an ungodly generation includes:
- disrespect toward parents
- self-righteous attitude ("pure in its own eyes") that refuses to admit fault or failure
- mean-spirited and hurtful words toward others
- preoccupation with self that causes them to be insensitive to -- and even take advantage of -- the less fortunate.

Now let me ask you a question: How many of your own kids struggle with these things?

Let me answer that question for you: They all do. Why? Because it is their natural inclination as sinners! Yet by God's grace they can belong to "the generation of the upright" (Psalm 112:2), who show their fear of God and faith in God through their conduct toward others!

That's what I want to address over the next several blogs. I want to talk about reclaiming good manners among our children. This presupposes salvation in Christ, for it does no good to try to reform our kids on the outside if they have not been regenerated on the inside. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17, emphasis added). Our mandate as Christian parents is to "tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. . . . so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children" (Psalm 78:4, 6; emphasis added).

The training of our children begins and ends with God, for without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5), yet with Him all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).

Within the next day or so, I'll write "part two" of this series, getting into this whole subject of good manners. But before I write or you read anything further, why not spend some time in prayer, asking the Lord to do a work in your heart and that of your children? Remember, what we're after is not mere behavior modification but true heart transformation. Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7). Parents, let's claim our kids for God! Let's lift them up in prayer, asking God to be glorified in their lives! For those of you who think your kids are too far gone, ask God for the impossible! After all, He "is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Eph. 3:20). Let that power go to work in you and your kids! Unleash that power through prayer.

Do that today. And by tomorrow or the next day, we'll move on to some practical pointers.