Some Children at Bethany
Children are a blessing from the Lord. Hannah was barren for the Lord had shut up her womb. Hannah prayed earnestly to the Lord for a man child, and the Lord heard her prayer and she was blessed with Samuel whom she committed unto the Lord. We should also desire to have our children committed to the Lord as well. The Psalmist tells us about our children. “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-4). Arrows are not shot in just any direction. They are directed toward a specific target, usually it is the bull’s eye on a target. Children are as arrows and are to be directed or aimed toward Christ. We cannot make them children of God, but we can teach them the scriptures and thus impart the head knowledge of the Bible. Then when the Lord deals with them by His marvelous grace, they can use the head knowledge, coupled with the heart knowledge inside, to lead an abundant life by taking up their cross and following the Lord Jesus Christ. There was a law in Israel and a testimony in Jacob that the fathers would teach God’s ways to their children who would in turn teach them to their children that the wonderful works of God might be known. What was the ultimate aim and purpose of all this? Moses tells us, “That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:” (Psalm 78:7). These children would hopefully set their hope in God and not the things of the world. Timothy had known the scriptures from a child and evidently had been taught by his mother and grandmother. It is a blessing to see children in church, being brought there by godly parents. One day, we would trust and pray that they might take up their cross, join the church, and thus the church continue to be perpetuated in that specific location. Of course, we know that the gates of hell shall never prevail against the church as a whole because it is founded upon the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ. However, it might not be in any specific location as a local asembly. May we be good custodians of what the Lord has entrusted us.–April 23, 2012–Elder Larry Wise
