by Duane Maust
July 24, 2005
Mark 10: 13-16
This past week I saw a lot of love and care is given to the children of this church. That is what I picture Christ doing. I picture Jesus would have been right at home here last week with all the children singing and enjoying themselves around here.
Let’s look at the stained glass in the back of our church. This is a very appropriate window for us to have here. We are a young church. I don’t mind having children making noise here. I would prefer noise in church than have a dying church. This church has life and I love it.
On Monday when people were bringing children to Bible School, it may have been overwhelming to see all the children coming. It made it feel worthwhile when on Friday I had several neighbor boys quoting their Bible verses to me at the church office. They were proud to have them ready for their teacher. They will take those verses with them all their lives.
Read Jesus words in Mark 10:14b-15.
Thank you for receiving the children this week.
I still can picture Jeff’s blessing on them when they were getting ready to leave. Jeff did like Jesus in verse 16. (read)
Maybe Jeff didn’t have them all in his arms, but he blessed them.
That is something each one of us can do. We can pray blessing on these children. Some of our children are getting a little older. But we don’t stop praying for them, do we? If we have grandchildren, we just have a bigger family to pray for.
There is a bumper sticker that reads, “I have teenagers! Pray for me!” If you have teenagers, you might feel this way at times. However, today we’re reminding you to pray for your children. This is for any age.
The Message Bible puts it this way. “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Philippians 4:4-7
We should pray for our children for which day care they will attend, for their school, which college, their job, their boy or girl friend, and the list goes on.
Conclusion
I would like to conclude with this prayer.
“A Parent’s Prayer”
Dear Lord, Help us as parents to be what we want our children to be. To see Christ in us, especially when we are tired and rushed. Help us never to be too busy to stop and listen to them with all our attention. Lord, guide us so that we will have no habits that we would not want them to have. Give us the courage to withhold a privilege, which we think would not be best for them. Lord, let them see that the Christian life is the greatest life on earth.
Lord, what we want more than anything else is to love them and care for them as you love and care for us. Thank you for being my loving Father. Help us to be their loving parents.
Amen (Author Unknown)