CHILD

“I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.” ‭‭3 John‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Creatively

Humorous

Inquisitors

Lacking

Direction

    How do we experience the wonder of God’s creation? He has given us a world of possibilities, beauty and creativity. Our arrival into this life is always a miracle of creation, but from our first breath the harsh reality of evil begins its assault on our creativity, joy, inquiring minds and godly potential. The world is relentless in its attack.

    Families are falling apart because we have allowed the voice of truth to be twisted, perverted or worse silenced. Children are the most precious gift God has in trusted to us! They should be protected, natured and trained. That process begins and ends in the home - the Christian home. 

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Our society has problems. Everywhere we look we can see any number of evils. Homelessness, drug addiction, abuse, neglect, poverty all these are real and all of these affect our children. But, God in His wisdom established institutions to address all of these. The family, the church, and government were all established by the will and power of God. Government cannot legislate morality. The church cannot punish those who break the law. The family can impact the direction of society.

““Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense! For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will occupy other nations and resettle the ruined cities. For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth. I will make your towers of sparkling rubies, your gates of shining gems, and your walls of precious stones. I will teach all your children, and they will enjoy great peace. You will be secure under a government that is just and fair. Your enemies will stay far away. You will live in peace, and terror will not come near.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54:2-3, 5, 12-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Creativity, humor, and questions are the way children learn. They are not attempting to torture us with their questions as if they were personally overseeing the Spanish Inquisition. They are searching for direction. If they do not find their way at home, they will look outside of the safety of the Christian home. Allow your children to ask you the difficult questions and give them honest answers that build up their faith.

“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:13-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Families your challenge is to do the job God assigned to you!

““Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:4-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Churches your challenge is to do the job God assigned to you!

““The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin. “The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” ‭‭Malachi‬ ‭2:5-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Government, your challenge is to do the job God assigned to you!

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:1, 4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    We need to remember we are each a child of God, but as we grow in faith we must replace our lack of direction with LOVING DEVOTION.

“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:11-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬