by Rev Robert A Wendel
“Children are an inheritance from
the Lord. Train up a child in the way he
should go. A Child is known by
his doings” (Psalm 127:3; Proverbs 22:6, Proverbs 20:11 (Geneva Bible)
“Children and young people are the future of our Church.” Senior members around churches have whispered that truism many times knowing: 1) Youth require their own separate ministry; 2) Kids live a kinetic, up-beat pace; 3) For them, traditions only matter at Christmas and Easter; 4) Newbies appreciate church time as time to be with classmates and friends; 5) Still, the continuation of any congregation is on the shoulders of today’s up-and-coming folks. Handle with care.
Most worshipping fellowships divide themselves in three generational groups: Cradle roll (Infants and pre-public school youngsters); Public school young people and adults. Out of his love and mercy, God wants all his children to be happy, however they define it, under the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:24-25).
Once and for all, we must put out of our minds that the purpose of life is to enjoy ourselves, to be happy, to have a good time, to make money and to live worry free in ease and comfort. Real Christians are to attempt to live their lives in service to others laying aside their own desires.
In both Jewish and Christian theology, the much desired birth of a son or daughter is a heritage or reward thought of as a gift from God. Folly is bound up in a child’s heart. The righteous follow a clear path in life. The Lord delivers them from trouble. Wisdom is gained through discipline. (Proverbs 4:3-5).
R. Benjamin Garrison said “If God has made an impact on us, it will be evident in the children we raise, the ideas we share, the money we earn and spend, in the church we love, the nation we build and protect and in the souls that kneel before Him, each one of us, sometime, caught in the living net of the gospel.”