Encourage Your Children

Courtesy morguefile

 The second to last Sunday of every month is set aside as Youth Sunday in my church, Sierra Norwood Calvary Baptist Church in Miami. This is the day when the young people conduct the service. They do everything except preach the sermon. As I watched them perform this morning, I thought Jesus must be looking on and smiling. I smiled too as I recalled His words, "Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19: 14)

What a wonderful privilege we have to nurture and prepare the next generation to become the leaders of tomorrow. It is one we should not take lightly. Unfortunately, not all children receive this type of preparation. Many of them are left to fend for themselves - which is a form of abuse - and are forced into adulthood while they are still children. Many of them never hear the name of Jesus spoken in the home, never have the Bible read to them, never attend church or Sunday School.

Children need to be encouraged to achieve their God-given potential. Some children are so discouraged by the treatment they receive at home they develop low self-esteem. The Bible says, "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6: 4). doesn't give us a lot about Jesus's teenage years. We don't know if He kept Mary and Joseph up late at nights wondering where He was or who He was hanging out with. We do know that when He was twelve, He did cause them some worry when they went to Jerusalem and Jesus disappeared for three whole days! That would make any mom frantic.  (Read Luke 2: 42 - 50)


Some years later, we see Mary being the one to launch Jesus's ministry at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. (Read John 2: 1 - 11) I believe Mary must have been given divine wisdom from God to do what she did, because prior to this, she didn't seem to understand the full implications of who Jesus really was. Parents, if you want to know how to encourage your children, how to bring out the best in them, ask God for wisdom and guidance. He will tell you what, when and how to do what needs to be done for them. And He never makes a mistake. God bless.

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