Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Children: To be partakers in the concerns of Christ
Psalms 127What are the concerns of Christ? If you read Matthew 16:1-12, it gives you an idea of multiple concerns that Christ kept stating. They were mainly about how the people would be deceptive, and how the children would be affected by the deceptiveness. That is why Jesus said, “Let the children come to me”.
Once a speaker at a meeting said that when you read the Bible, you will see it in 3 categories:
Window – where we get to see an era and generations.
Portrait – where we get to see the picture of somebody else; their good things and things they must improve on.
Mirror – where we get to see ourselves in the Bible and learn to live the way God wants us to live our lives.
How do you read the Bible and what makes sense of Jesus’ concerns? God is more interested in his purpose than your comfort. Age is not a factor for somebody to be an answer to a prayer. People often dismiss the voice or opinions of children saying they are trivial or immature. If they are dismissed, they will find other creative ways to do things. Psalms 127:3 says, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him”. When a child is born, we wait so long to hear them talk and converse. When they grow up, we forget to continue listening to them and adults pass judgment on the kids that they are too young. We need to have children learn their responsibilities and feel loved at home by their parents. Only then will they learn to partake in the concerns of Christ. Only then can they pass the good thoughts down to the next generation. Christian life is not a privileged life, but a responsible life. The closing verse in Psalms 127 says that Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (children). Even though we pull our hair during the day, driving miles to do things for our kids, it is always a blessing to see them grow and flourish and support you when needed.
Window – where we get to see an era and generations.
Portrait – where we get to see the picture of somebody else; their good things and things they must improve on.
Mirror – where we get to see ourselves in the Bible and learn to live the way God wants us to live our lives.
How do you read the Bible and what makes sense of Jesus’ concerns? God is more interested in his purpose than your comfort. Age is not a factor for somebody to be an answer to a prayer. People often dismiss the voice or opinions of children saying they are trivial or immature. If they are dismissed, they will find other creative ways to do things. Psalms 127:3 says, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him”. When a child is born, we wait so long to hear them talk and converse. When they grow up, we forget to continue listening to them and adults pass judgment on the kids that they are too young. We need to have children learn their responsibilities and feel loved at home by their parents. Only then will they learn to partake in the concerns of Christ. Only then can they pass the good thoughts down to the next generation. Christian life is not a privileged life, but a responsible life. The closing verse in Psalms 127 says that Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (children). Even though we pull our hair during the day, driving miles to do things for our kids, it is always a blessing to see them grow and flourish and support you when needed.
Prayer
Loving God, we thank you for the family you have given us. Help us to stay connected and continue to bond with our family. Help to nurture the children, the way you want us to. Use us as vessels to do your will. We also pray for all the youths around the world. Give them the sense of direction and the wisdom to make the right decisions. Amen.
Thought for the Day
How do we listen to our children at home and in our church? What are we doing to empower our children?
Bincy John
Christos MTC, Philadelphia