JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"Children Are a Gift From God"

Psalm 127:3-5  "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.  Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate."

Psalm 127:3-5 (Alternate Translation: The Message)  "Don’t you see that children are GOD’s best gift?  The fruit of the womb his generous legacy?  Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth.  Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children!  Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep."

Proverb 13:22  "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous."

Proverb 17:6  "Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father."

Proverb 20:7  "The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him."

Matthew 18:3-6  "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

Ephesians 6:1-4  "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.  And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."

Insight: Children are a gift from God.  Like all of God's gifts, they are a blessing and a responsibility.  Plan now to be good to the children in your life.  Bless them and point them toward their Heavenly Father.  You'll be blessed and rewarded for being a righteous steward of your gifts.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and lift us up.  Forgive our sins and make us like You.  Thank you for my daughter.  Bless her and let me be the father you want me to be.  Help me to love her more and more all the time and help me to point her to You.  Bless everyone who has a child in their life and let them be good to them.  Help them to seek You and your will, so they can do what is required.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Alabama Courts 1983, in the case of Jaffree v. Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County, 544F. Supp. 1104 (S. D. Ala. 1983), Judge Brevard Hand quoted from the nineteenth century Unites States Supreme Court Justice, Joseph Story, who succinctly clarified the original meaning of the First Amendment:

The real object of the First Amendment was not to countenance, much less to advance Mohammedanism, or Judaism, or infidelity, by prostrating Christianity, but to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects [denominations] and to prevent any national ecclesiastical patronage of the national government.

If you'd like to have the citations for the footnotes above, please email us.  If you'd like to see more quotes from those who framed and founded America, please click here: http://jcsm.org/AmericasFounders/.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

Make sure you don't misrepresent Christ.

Train and love your kids, but don't be a dictator to them.

Real communication requires listening.

Our facial expressions and tone of voice convey a message more than our words.

If we're putting the Word of God in our heart, good things will come out.

Our kids know when we devalue them.

God doesn't guarantee that our children will turn out well if we are perfect parents.

We are held responsible for our choices; not our children's choices.

Do you always treat your children like they're gifts from God?

We need to adapt to our child's personality.

As children of the Lord, we shouldn't be guided by our natural temperaments.

Showing contempt for your kids is a great way to push them into the hands of Satan.

We all hear three voices: the Holy Spirit, ours, and demonic ones.

Parenting is difficult and can involve suffering.

Which expectations do you have for your kids?

Don't respond in anger or selfishness.

Kids can aid in our spiritual transformation.

All disappointment comes from expectations.

Putting your priorities in order will help you spend enough time with your kids.

Unforgiveness and bitterness effects you physiologically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Peace in your home is related to obedience to Christ.

These quotes came from the Holy Spirit, me, and Craig Caster.

If you'd like to read more quotes, you'll want a copy of Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"!  It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.