Tag: Sunday School

Christian

Loving the Children

Cindy Dawson

3 Minutes

There may be children in your church who will accept Jesus as their Savior only because they went to Sunday School and had a teacher who told them about Jesus and prayed for them faithfully.

Have you ever participated in a Baby Dedication at church? Did you make a commitment, along with the parents, to raise this child up according to the Word of the Lord. One way we can keep this promise is by serving in Children’s Ministry and Youth Ministry where needed.

It takes a lot of caring Christians to properly support the children who come to your church. I’ve been praying for God to send more Sunday School teachers and nursery workers. There never seems to be enough. Do you find this to be true in your local church?

When you consider the words of Jesus, you have to wonder why we don’t have enough workers. After all, it is a privilege to serve the Lord in this way and it honors God. To welcome a little child is to welcome Jesus and the Father.

“An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” Luke 9:46-48 NIV Read full chapter

Jesus makes it clear that children are important to Him. We must take care of them and teach them about our Lord.

” … whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28 NIV (emphasis mine)

There is always an opportunity to serve in Children’s Ministry.

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:10 NIV

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:10 NIV

I am thankful for the Sunday School teachers that taught me about Jesus. And I am thankful for those who serve our Lord in this way today.

This morning, as I walked my little dog Henry in the warm sunshine, a large flock of geese flew overhead in a perfect V formation. I watched as the birds took turns flying at the point. It reminded me of how we must take turns serving in our churches, not allowing the same people to do it all week after week.

Is God calling you to serve?

With Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

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Christian, women

When Children Memorize Scripture, They Remember it Forever

Cindy Dawson

Did you ever stop to think about how effortlessly children can memorize? Ask any toddler the names of the Paw Patrol Dogs or the members of Peppa Pig’s family. They know it all!

Annie at Seeking Divine Perspective commented that she can have trouble remembering Scripture she memorized as an adult, but she can easily spout off the ones she learned as a child. That has been my experience as well. I memorized the 23rd Psalm as a child and I’ve never forgotten it. (That was more than 60 years ago!)

My daughter, who is now 35, can recite many Scriptures she memorized as a child. (She also knows the whole movie, The Little Mermaid! But that’s another story!)

She told me that the thing that stands out to her the most are all the Bible songs she learned and the Christian TV shows for children such as Storybook (still available on Youtube). Many of those songs are Scripture verses and/or foundational truths. For example, Jesus Loves Me, The B-I-B-L-E, and many more.

Here’s the thing: If children have the ability to memorize easily and then remember it into adulthood, why aren’t we taking advantage of it?

Some Children’s Sunday School curriculum seems more interested in entertaining children than teaching them what they need to know. Some curriculum doesn’t include Scripture memorization at all.

Memorizing Bible verses can seem old fashioned to some, but it is more important than ever. And it can be a lot of fun when you add hand motions or sing the verse. What is “normal” in today’s world is becoming more and more contrary to Biblical teaching. Memorizing Scripture hides God’s Truths it in our heart.

God has clearly said how important it is to teach our children His Word.

“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

I have been reading through Proverbs and I thought, “I wish I would have memorized some of these Proverbs before I left home at 17 to attend college. Perhaps then, the Holy Spirit would have brought some of these verses to my mind before I made poor decisions.” Proverbs 2:12-15 stands out.

12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,
14 who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
    and who are devious in their ways.”

Memorizing Scripture enables us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in our heart. Many times, God has spoken to me by bringing a specific Scripture to my mind.

The Holy Spirit has even used a Children’s Bible Song that I learned as a child to speak to my heart. In fact, that’s how my blog all began. As I lay in bed with Mononucleosis, I couldn’t get this little song out of my head:

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine!
Hide it under a bushel?
No! I'm gonna let it shine.

That’s when I thought, “I’m a closet Christian!” I realized I never shared all the things God had done for me. And the idea to write a blog was born! You can read about it here.

More Scripture on Teaching Children

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Speaking of God’s words, Deuteronomy 11:19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

Matthew 18:5-6 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Psalm 78:2-4 for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.

The world is teaching our children many harmful ideas. May the Lord help us teach our children His ways. May He help us to protect their hearts and minds.

With Love, Cindy

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Ashton Bingham on Unsplash

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