Teach Them Diligently, Part Two

( Part One )

Matthew 18:3-5
"And (Jesus) said, 'Verily I say unto you,
Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child,
the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoso sha l receive one such little child in my name receiveth me."


A child has no fear, no distrust, no doubts, no deception. They come to God as they are, believing with all their heart.

My daughter went outside to swing one day when she felt sad. She told me, "I asked God to pick me up and hug me, and He did."

As we were driving over a mountain, my son was so excited to be in the clouds. He said, "We're going to see Jesus!" I didn't want to say anything. It was possible!Make God and the stories of the Bible as much a part of your children's life as food and breath. They should know more about David and Daniel and Peter, than Barney and Elmo and Thomas. They should know the difference between Moses and Noah, between Jericho and Jerusalem, and between passover and parable.

Teach them the Books of the Bible. Have them sit next to you in church and follow along in the hymnbook and Bible. Give them their own Bible as soon as they begin to read. Teach them to respect it and honor it by keeping it clean and using it often.

Prayer should be more than "God bless Daddy and Mommy." Pray with them often, when they are sick or sad or have lost something or need something. Pray for others. Rejoice over answered prayers. Write them down, if it helps, and review how God has provided over the year. Teach them that a "No" from God is an answer, too. Sometimes, what we want isn't best for us.

Our family often received used clothes and then passed them to other families. We had some athletic shoes with cleats given to us. They hung around our house for awhile, but I stuck them in a bag of clothing to go to a family of boys. Little did I know that one of their sons had just joined a soccer team and needed some cleats. Not having much money, the mother told him to pray about it. Everyone was surprised and delighted that the shoes were just his size. What a great example to both families of God's great power and love!

Little children, ages three or four or five, can realize their need of salvation. I have seen a young child, angry and rebellious, change to a loving and submissive one when they confess their guilt to God. One little kindergartner led his grandfather to the Lord. He told what he knew, and God did the rest.

Children have a different perspective, seeing things that we don't. I had told my class that Jesus would have died on the cross for them, even if they were the only one. One little boy said, "If I were the only one, then I would have had to kill him." That brought me to tears, because, in a sense, we did.

God can give young children the call to serve Him at a young age, to be a missionary or pastor. Do not squelch their desire to reach out to others, to give, to invite others to church. Jesus warns us about offending a child, about turning them away from spiritual things.

Matthew 18:6
"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about this neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

Dear Lord, give us hearts like a child. Let us love You and trust You completely. Let us feel Your presence. May our conscience be tender to sin. May we want to be close to You as a child is to his daddy. In Jesus' Name, Amen