adherence to parental instruction (verses 8–9), and disassociation
from the wicked (verses 10–19).
(^) My assumption at this point is that parenting has been undertaken
according to the model this book sets out. During this period, you
desire to see the daily instruction throughout your child’s life brought
together and internalized by him.
The Fear of the Lord
(^) The first foundation of life is walking in the fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 1:7 reads, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Your teen-age
child is on the threshold of life independent from you. He is already
making choices that have major impact on his life. He is making
values decisions each day.
(^) Recall Figure 3. That chart reflected the individual’s Godward
orientation. It is a split chart because everybody has a Godward
orientation. Everyone worships either God or idols. Everyone lives in
some sort of fear either of God or idols.
(^) Your teenager must be motivated by a sense of awe and reverence
for God. You want the choices he makes to reflect a growing
comprehension of what it means to be a God worshiper. Since the
question is not if, but what your child will worship, you must freely
confront him with the irrationality of worshiping any lesser god.
(^) Living in fear of God means living in the realization of
accountability to him. It is living in light of the fact that he is God
and we are creatures. He sees all; everything is open before him.
Living in godly fear means living in full light of God as a holy God
who calls his people to holiness.
(^) Make it a point to read through the major and minor prophets with
your children during their teen years. Your children are part of a
contemporary evangelical culture that suffers from a low view of
God. Reading the prophets confronts you with a holy God who is