Psalm 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Oh Friends, today the Lord put it in my heart to write on children, for they are the future, as they go, so goes our world. And people, the plight of our children is terribly unfortunate, thanks to us. We’re either abusing them, so that they become, hard, bitter cynical adults, or pampering them too much, turning them into spoiled, selfish, egotistical, worldly possession worshippers. Our society is failing the children: Families aren’t grounding them properly, neither are the schools or the churches, and throughout the world, millions of children are starving, living in squalid conditions, dying by the thousands daily, from simple things like hunger, malnutrition and diarrhoea, when there’s food aplenty in the world and enough medicine to save most of them. But that root of evil, money, along with pride, power and selfishness, prevents them from being spread as they should. We recently mentioned that man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, well, in no strata is it felt more savagely than in our children. Sometimes I see pictures of sick, hungry children, and it breaks my heart. I can’t even bear to look at them. The children are bearing the brunt of the negative results caused by all the strife, bitterness and anger we adults are perpetrating around the globe. In the long run, no, we’ve already become as Jeremiah stated: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.’ (Jer.31:15) Yes Friends, that’s the happenings all around our world; weeping, mourning and gnashing of teeth for the children. Even in the rich, metropolitan countries children are suffering from starvation and want. In wonderful Canada, no sarcasm meant, children are going to school in the cold without breakfast. In refugee camps spawned by strife and bitterness, there are teenagers who know no other life. And the numbers of those camps are increasing daily. Oh people, can’t we see, don’t we understand, that in any kind of negative confrontation, it’s always the children who suffer the most because they don’t have a voice and can’t fend for themselves? They are completely dependent on us for their welfare, and we’re not providing what we should as parents and caregivers. We’re setting terrible examples for them. How can we expect anything but negative thinking and emotions from them when that’s all they know? Remember children’s foundations are set at an early age, so whatever they learn and experience then, that’s what will be manifested in their lives. But my brethren, there early lives should not be shrouded in negativity; ‘For children are an heritage of the Lord…as arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children…happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.’ (Ps.127:3-5) And Isaiah declares: ‘Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and wonders in Israel…’ (Is.8:18) Oh Friends, we should be taking Bruh Paul’s advice; ‘Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph.6:4) But instead, our behaviour resembles the proverb the Lord said wasn’t true in Israel in Ezekiel’s time. ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ (Eze.18:2) The children won’t pay for our sins in the Lord’s eyes, but they are certainly suffering because of them. Oh fellow believers, remember Jesus’ reaction to his disciples shooing away the children brought for His blessing? ‘But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God: Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and blessed them.’ (Mark 10:14-16) Friends, that’s the way all children should be treated; with LOVE and tender care. How can we call ourselves Christians, genuine followers of Christ and allow children to be treated so abysmally eh? Bruh David shows the correct way. ‘Come ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.’ That’s our most important duty people; to teach our children reverence for and trust in the Lord, so that they can turn to Him in confidence when He says; ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. (Ps.32:8,10) Now that’s what we should do people! Not what we’re currently doing. And as the wisdom of Solomon attests; ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Pro.22:6) Friends, we are living proof of that. Our parents trained us up right, and though we’ve sometimes strayed from the straight and narrow, we know right from wrong, and at some stage always return. But it seems we’ve done a great disservice to our children. Somehow, somewhere we’ve lost them. Lucifer now has too many of them under his control, and I’m not sure if we’ve trained them up right enough to understand the intricacies of this evil world. However, many of us are now grandparents, with some say in the lives of those youngsters, for their sakes, and that of future generations, let’s train them up right nuh. Ah beg oonoo! (smile) Stop allowing them to be raised on the lusts of the world. I’m pleading; let’s make a positive difference in children’s lives, however we can. Each of us has the capability to help in some small way, so let’s make it a goal to improve the plight of the world’s children, be it through food, money, clothing, personal care, whatever. Please, let’s do it so that the world will be a much better place and our legacy won’t be as tainted. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. As always, Much LOVE!…teach them to pray…and to live in LOVE…
Oh Friends, today the Lord put it in my heart to write on children, for they are the future, as they go, so goes our world. And people, the plight of our children is terribly unfortunate, thanks to us. We’re either abusing them, so that they become, hard, bitter cynical adults, or pampering them too much, turning them into spoiled, selfish, egotistical, worldly possession worshippers. Our society is failing the children: Families aren’t grounding them properly, neither are the schools or the churches, and throughout the world, millions of children are starving, living in squalid conditions, dying by the thousands daily, from simple things like hunger, malnutrition and diarrhoea, when there’s food aplenty in the world and enough medicine to save most of them. But that root of evil, money, along with pride, power and selfishness, prevents them from being spread as they should. We recently mentioned that man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, well, in no strata is it felt more savagely than in our children. Sometimes I see pictures of sick, hungry children, and it breaks my heart. I can’t even bear to look at them. The children are bearing the brunt of the negative results caused by all the strife, bitterness and anger we adults are perpetrating around the globe. In the long run, no, we’ve already become as Jeremiah stated: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.’ (Jer.31:15) Yes Friends, that’s the happenings all around our world; weeping, mourning and gnashing of teeth for the children. Even in the rich, metropolitan countries children are suffering from starvation and want. In wonderful Canada, no sarcasm meant, children are going to school in the cold without breakfast. In refugee camps spawned by strife and bitterness, there are teenagers who know no other life. And the numbers of those camps are increasing daily. Oh people, can’t we see, don’t we understand, that in any kind of negative confrontation, it’s always the children who suffer the most because they don’t have a voice and can’t fend for themselves? They are completely dependent on us for their welfare, and we’re not providing what we should as parents and caregivers. We’re setting terrible examples for them. How can we expect anything but negative thinking and emotions from them when that’s all they know? Remember children’s foundations are set at an early age, so whatever they learn and experience then, that’s what will be manifested in their lives. But my brethren, there early lives should not be shrouded in negativity; ‘For children are an heritage of the Lord…as arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children…happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.’ (Ps.127:3-5) And Isaiah declares: ‘Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and wonders in Israel…’ (Is.8:18) Oh Friends, we should be taking Bruh Paul’s advice; ‘Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph.6:4) But instead, our behaviour resembles the proverb the Lord said wasn’t true in Israel in Ezekiel’s time. ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ (Eze.18:2) The children won’t pay for our sins in the Lord’s eyes, but they are certainly suffering because of them. Oh fellow believers, remember Jesus’ reaction to his disciples shooing away the children brought for His blessing? ‘But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God: Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and blessed them.’ (Mark 10:14-16) Friends, that’s the way all children should be treated; with LOVE and tender care. How can we call ourselves Christians, genuine followers of Christ and allow children to be treated so abysmally eh? Bruh David shows the correct way. ‘Come ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.’ That’s our most important duty people; to teach our children reverence for and trust in the Lord, so that they can turn to Him in confidence when He says; ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. (Ps.32:8,10) Now that’s what we should do people! Not what we’re currently doing. And as the wisdom of Solomon attests; ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Pro.22:6) Friends, we are living proof of that. Our parents trained us up right, and though we’ve sometimes strayed from the straight and narrow, we know right from wrong, and at some stage always return. But it seems we’ve done a great disservice to our children. Somehow, somewhere we’ve lost them. Lucifer now has too many of them under his control, and I’m not sure if we’ve trained them up right enough to understand the intricacies of this evil world. However, many of us are now grandparents, with some say in the lives of those youngsters, for their sakes, and that of future generations, let’s train them up right nuh. Ah beg oonoo! (smile) Stop allowing them to be raised on the lusts of the world. I’m pleading; let’s make a positive difference in children’s lives, however we can. Each of us has the capability to help in some small way, so let’s make it a goal to improve the plight of the world’s children, be it through food, money, clothing, personal care, whatever. Please, let’s do it so that the world will be a much better place and our legacy won’t be as tainted. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. As always, Much LOVE!…teach them to pray…and to live in LOVE…
SCRIP-BITS 