Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Equipping Children to share the Good news
2 Kings 5:1-5
  Somi Mathew,

Long Island MTC, NY
3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
 
It is clear from the story that leprosy is something that Naaman (and perhaps his wife) wanted to get rid of.
 
An essential character in the story is the Israelite slave girl. Taken captive, she has come to serve the wife of Naaman. Though nameless in the story, her role is pivotal. We live in a world where everyone is looking for recognition and fame through whatever little we do. But this young girl’s motive was not that. Breaking out of the silence of slavery, it is her speaking up that begins Naaman's healing. Though a displaced insider, she is the one who directs Naaman to the healing power of the Lord, the God of Israel, by way of Israel's prophet. She is the initiator of hope. This gives us renewed hope that wherever we are, whatever situation we are in,  if we stay strong, God can use us for His Glory. We only have to submit ourselves to him. And He will do wonders through us. It is upon her word that Naaman approaches the king of Aram with a request to follow this lead towards his own healing. And as quickly as she enters the story, she fades into the background.
 
The thought that goes through our mind on reading this passage is “how well do we equip our children to share the good news like this young girl did”? Let us hope and pray that the Lord grants us the wisdom and discernment to lead, nurture and train our children all of our days.

 
Parents have a great responsibility in nurturing their children, to make them understand God’s good news and to help them to spread this good news to others through the lives they live. Our children have their daily battles with music, movies and TV -(to mention a few) that are constantly trying to steal their attention away from God.  We have to remind our children to focus on God, and teach them to have the courage to say ‘No” to the bad influences of this world.
 
What is our purpose as parents? 1 Kings 15:26 says, "He (Nadab, son of Jeroboam) did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father and committing the same sin his father had caused Israel to commit". Our children will follow our footsteps. We, parents,  need to recognize our call as a sacred trust. We are to equip our children  with the tools to build a life of values with a strong moral foundation in Christ. For that we need to impart knowledge of God from the Word of God, teach good interpersonal relationships and skills for life drawing from our own experience and our own training. In tough times God wants us to lean on Him and not on our own strength and He will surely use us for His glory. He has given us hope, and He wants us to share it with our children, so that they also will be added to His kingdom. 

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, thank you for the gift of the children you have placed in our homes. Please guide us to raise each one of them according to Your calling. May our children follow Your example and share the good news of God's love with everyone they meet. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
 
"Greater is he who acts from love than he who acts from fear." - Simeon Ben Eleazar

  

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