It is Never Too Early to Serve God

Kids and young people, think about this:
Joash was seven when he became king of Judah. He did an excellent job for many years but, unfortunately, allowed his heart to drift from God, gave in to the pressures of peers, and did not finish well.
Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, sixteen when he began to seek the Lord, and twenty when he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of false worship. Josiah loved God all his life and did finish well.
Samuel was just a youth when God spoke to him three times. He “did let none of his words fall to the ground.” (1 Samuel 3:19)
Naaman’s wife’s servant was but a ‘little maid’ when, instead of being bitter for being ripped from her home, she directed her master to Elisha, to healing, and to the true God.
Joseph was seventeen when God, through dreams, told him his future. At that age he was sold by his brothers into Egypt and began the process of protecting God’s people there. In his twenties he refused to give in to the temptation offered from his boss’ wife and ended up in prison for it. Today we name our children after him.
Daniel was probably a teenager when he was taken to Babylon and determined not to defile himself with the king’s meat.
Mary was probably a teenager when she was given the honor of being the mother of God’s Son.
As an orphaned youth, Esther learned to honor and obey her cousin as she would a parent. God used her sweet spirit and wisdom to save His people from destruction.
Jeremiah was “but a child” when God called him to be His prophet. (1:6) He faithfully spoke the words of God to a stubborn people for many years and remained true to God to the end.
Timothy was but a youth when he was recommended to follow Paul and serve Christ the rest of his life. He was still an example of the believers many years later.
David was less than twenty when God asked Samuel to anoint him to be the next king of Israel because he was a man after God’s heart. A short time later, still a youth, he accepted the challenge to fight Goliath. 

Throughout Scripture, when God was about to do something big, he sent a child. He sent Moses, Samuel, Samson, and He sent His Son Jesus. Perhaps God is wanting to do something big, something life-changing through your life too. How can you prepare yourself so that, if this is true, you are ready? Talk with you parents about this for God has chosen them as your protectors and counselors. Most important, get into the pattern of saying to the Lord, as Samuel did, “Speak, for thy servant heareth.”

Holiday Traditions

My sister called this week and, as usual, we quickly got into happy memories of growing up. And, as usual, we were kidding each other and laughing until our time ran out. Our parents were great believers in traditions in our family, especially around this time of year. My wife’s parents had few traditions and making memories in this way was not very important to her. I did my best to overcome this.

Actually traditions in my father’s house went back at least another generation. His mother always made oyster stew on Christmas eve, and Küchen, a German sweet bread. My mother carried these on, adding Million Dollar fudge, popcorn balls, and cut glass.  Thanksgiving included the traditional meal including cranberries, pumpkin pie, and I always got one of the drumsticks!

Traditions included more than certain foods. We went shopping with Dad (a rare treat). We also were there to help pick out a tree and to decorate it, though Dad always put the lights on himself because it had to be done just so. We were allowed to put on tinsel as long as we did it one strand at a time! Perhaps you are getting the message, that the entire holiday season to me was more than giving and receiving things. It was a time of warm unity in our family, of love and kindness, of thinking of others. It is now for me a set of wonderful memories.

Some reading this don’t do Christmas, for one reason or another. If not, I encourage you to build your own memories another way. Life can be tough, and too often we remember the traumatic times as if they were the norm. Building good memories will overrule the negative ones so that, as your children look back to these years, they remember growing up as being, for the most part, enjoyable.

One of my most special Christmas presents was from my mother after I was married. It was a large photo album about me. It contained my birth announcement, a bit of hair from my first haircut, all my report cards, pictures through my years of growing up, a few honors I got in high school, a poem I wrote Dad for Father’s Day promising to give him Ukulele lessons, and other things too personal to mention here. She did the same for my brother and sister that year. When I showed it to a friend of ours, she responded, “She must have enjoyed being a mother.” Indeed she did, and she made growing up at home a wonderful memory.

Making memories is Biblical. God told Israel to set aside time each year for seven special observances throughout their history. This idea caught on with them and they have added many more since. What are you doing to write happy memories in your children’s minds, so that, if the Lord tarries His coming, they will also have joy in remembering their times at home?

How to Keep Your Kids on God’s Team

All Christian parents surely desires that their children will walk with God all their lives. Too often, however, parents are disappointed in the lack of spiritual depth in their children when they leave home and make their own decisions. One main reason for this is that, to the children, God is their parents’ God; He was never personal to them.
When the children of Israel finished the main conquest of Canaan, Joshua told them, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) The leaders responded, “The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.” (24:24) Did they mean it? We are told “And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel.” (31) This last verse is repeated in Judges 2:7. But in v. 10 we are told, “and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” These children did not see the crossing of the Red Sea or the Jordan, the walls of Jericho fall, or Sun stand still. Increasingly, this was just exciting history that didn’t apply to them. As a result they “knew not the Lord.”
The problem was not that the miracles had ceased. The problem was that the parents only had history to show their children the reality of God’s personal care and power. There was no longer a need for the sun to stand still. But there was a need to see God provide their daily needs of life. When they failed to point their children to God in these, the parents’ faith became irrelevant.
How timely this message is! Many of you have experienced the mighty work of God in your salvation. Now your children are the next generation. They need to see God’s care and power in your lives and to learn to seek Him in their own lives. This can be done through regular prayer projects.
For what are you trusting God to provide right now in your family? Let’s say you need a new vehicle. You could just buy what you want, go into debt, and rob your children of seeing God’s provision. Instead, do this: tell the family of this need, write it down with the date, and next to it write a promise from the Bible that applies. Then pray about it at every meal and during your Bible times together. Remind your children that you are waiting on God for this provision and will not act until He directs. When God does provide, write next to it the date and specifically the means by which God kept this promise, and give Him thanks. Keep it fresh, and let your children see He is a living God who cares about them too.

The Importance of Touch

The practice of appropriate physical touch by parents toward their children has greatly declined in recent decades. Reasons for this abound- busyness, parents’ parents didn’t do it, public awareness of child abuse and the fear of being falsely accused. Nevertheless, physical touch of children is important. It is designed by God to be needed.
Before birth we were literally surrounded by our mothers. If she nursed us, we were often held in her arms during the early years. All this brought a certain security that gradually diminished as we grew older.
Some years ago a book hit the top charts in Christian parenting entitled, How To Really Love Your Children. Though largely a psychology book containing little Bible, one thing from it stuck with me. The author, Dr. Ross Campbell, stated that a child has an emotional tank with a slow leak. When it is empty, the child simply needs a hug to get it refilled. We have all heard the death cries of an injured child, only to see a hug from mom or dad perform miraculous healing. Some children need it and will seek it; others need it and won’t. But all of them need physical touch.
At birth, premature twins were placed in separate bassinettes. One responded to nourishment and gained weight. The other refused it and was slowly dying. In desperation, one nurse transferred the pining child into the bassinette, touching her sister. The change was dramatic and transforming. The physical touch brought her to life.
Apart from logic, illustration, and psychology, notice that the Lord Himself practiced physical touch with children. Following a discussion by the disciples about who was the greatest, Jesus responded, “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.” (Mark 9:35-37)
The disciples obviously didn’t get the message. “And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased (Gr. great indignation), and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10:13-16)
Perhaps your parents didn’t practice appropriate physical touch with you. Change the pattern to that of Jesus. Take each of your own children in your arms and bless them, often.

The Myth of Overpopulation

The Myth of Overpopulation

When our second child was born over 35 years ago, we were told by well-intentioned friends that we should not have any more children because the world is already overpopulated. Obviously we didn’t follow this advice since we had five more, but at the time I didn’t know how to answer them. Since then the rant continues but the evidence declares it to be simply untrue.
Indeed, the world is getting more populated. The U.S. alone increases one person every 16 seconds. The world population has increased 3.5 billion just since 1950. However, it is hardly crowded. To prove it, how far do you have to drive from where you are right now to see wide opened spaces? I can do so in less than 5 minutes. Though the population density of New Jersey is 1171 people/mile2, seven states have a density less than 20 and the average in the US is only 95. In Eau Claire, we fit comfortably our 65,400 people into 30 square miles, a population density of 2160 people/mile2. In other words, to be crowded, you have to move to a city. The world population density is 34 people/mile2, meaning most of the land is still uninhabited.
The scare statistics are taken from unusually crowded countries such as Moroco (6400 people/mile2) or India (130/mile2). Yet often the main reason why starvation is rampant is because of their false religious beliefs. Truthfully, the land could sustain a much greater population. Consider this: in 1994 a population summit was held to consider the ability of the earth to sustain the growing population. Their conclusion was that the world could presently sustain 1000 billion people, without irrigation, 600 billion people, and with just available fertilizer, 80 billion people! The estimated world population on the day I wrote this in October of 2009 is only 6.8 billion. And since 1950, world population growth has dropped nearly in half. Yet the lie of overpopulation continues.
Now ponder this quote from a leading textbook for training Gynecologists. “In the minds of many, rapid growth of population has become second only to nuclear warfare as civilization’s greatest menace. The gynecologist- obstetrician has assumed a leadership role and has recognized the necessity of controlling human fertility. . . Population growth is perforce temporary; that it will- indeed must- eventually cease, halted either by an increase in deaths or a decrease in births. There is no other way. Thus, people must come to want fewer children.” One result of this thinking is the fact that hysterectomies are the second most common major surgery each year, and most are probably unnecessary. But who’s to know? The evidence is destroyed.
In contrast, God’s people should view every baby as a gift from God and, when entrusted to them, a child is His heritage on loan for a few years. To steward a soul that will last for eternity is at once a great honor, and an awesome responsibility.

The ‘Self-Esteem’ Kick

Perhaps, thankfully, the cult of ‘self-esteem’ is dying out. Basically self-esteem is feeling good about myself. But it doesn’t stop there. Schools have set goals of building the self-esteem of their students and have sought to instill in them the idea that they are practically divine. One combined 5th-6th grade class where I subbed began every day reciting this: “I am wonderful; I am important; I am worthwhile; I make a difference; I am smart; I care about myself; I smile a lot; I am brave; I am successful; I am confident; I am strong inside; I can say No; I keep trying; I am a precious worthwhile mistake-making person.” After reciting this 180 times in a year, these children become loving achievers and helpers of the other marvels in the classroom, right? No, not right. This is humanism, the idea we should fan the flame of greatness in a child by lavishing them with praise so that they become praise junkies who can’t do anything unless someone recognizes it.
In light of this, an article in the news out of England caught my attention. Reviewing the book Nurtureshock, it said, “At its heart is one of the most fundamental questions of our time: why, after decades of caring, progressive parenting and education, do we have so many social problems with children from all backgrounds? The authors argue that the touchy-feely brand of modern parenting, where parents are too weak to criticise and discipline, will actually damage our children in the long term. One of the biggest failures has been our belief in the importance of instilling high self-esteem at all costs. We praise our children constantly and indiscriminately. . . . There is no evidence, say the authors, to show that high self-esteem has any effect on improving academic performance, or reducing anti-social behaviour.” Christians who understand the Bible respond, ”Well duh! It took you 40 years to discover that?” (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1215937)
What is a Biblical view our children should have of themselves? First, we are made in the image of God, unique in all of God’s creation. Second, David said, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works;. . . in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” You and I are the result of God’s personal unique plan from the foundation of the world. We are indeed special, one of a kind! Third, we were born with a sin nature and our natural disposition is to run our own lives and rebel against God and other authority. Because of this we are at enmity with God and under his condemnation. This is the missing element of self-esteem which assumes we are good and when that goodness is fanned, we will reject all badness. The Bible says we won’t, we can’t. We must humble ourselves before the Lord, and seek His mercy and forgiveness through the atoning work of Christ.