Malachi 4:5-6
“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. [6] His preaching will turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

I believe this sums up what to look for in any ministry.  God’s plan is to work in children’s lives through the parents.  Anything that tries to do otherwise is wrong. Don’t let anyone rob you of the joy of leading your child to Christ, or training your teenager in spiritual matters, or being the wise counselor for your adult children.  Find a church that understands this.   Luci West so aptly expressed this in the Dudley Baptist Church Children’s Ministry Statement: “partnering with parents to lead their children into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ”.  This is done by making sure the parents have the resources and the training they need to lead their children.

Not only does Malachi point out that the preacher was to turn the parents’ hearts to the children, but it is just as important to turn the children’s hearts toward the parents.  For example: the Youth director should not be getting the youth to rally around him, but should be continually pointing them toward their parents, just as the pastor’s goal is not to have the people dependent on him but to continually point them to a personal daily relationship with their Heavenly Father.

The message in this Scripture appears to be very serious in God’s eyes.  Look at the consequences of not turning parents and children toward each other – a curse on the land.  Hmmm.

Sylvia Gunter from The Father’s Business has compiled a list of scripture-based prayers to pray for children. She says, “These scripture-based prayers are dedicated to the most important responsibility and privilege of a parent or grandparent or teacher of all ages.”  Do you have your own list of scriptures that you pray for your children?  If not, please use Sylvia’s Praying for Children as a starting point for your prayers.

(This is another lesson from Here a Little, There a Little,  a compilation of  Bible activities I created years ago to use with my preschool children.  It was designed to spend a week memorizing the verse and reinforcing it through 5 Bible lessons and 5 activities.)

Begin by cutting out the shape of a Bible and paste on it one of the following verses. Then place it on the fridge all week.  Read the suggested passages for Bible stories or thoughts and tell them in your own words.  I have given you suggested things to share about each.  Do at least one of the suggested activities each day.  I am sure you can come up with better ideas on your own – this is just to get you started.

The Bible – God’s Word

Bible Verse:
Psalm 119:97 O How I Love Your Word
Psalm 119:6 I will not forget God’s Word

Bible Stories:

1 Samuel 1 & 2 A long time ago Hannah and Elkanah prayed for God to give them a little boy. God answered their prayer and sentthem Samuel. Hannah wanted Samuel to belong to God and do all God wanted him to. So Hannah spent about 5 years with Samuel teaching him God’s Word. Because Samuel learned God’s Word, he knew how to love God, and do all that God wanted him to do. Do you want to be good and do all God wants you to do? Then learn God’s word, the Bible.

II Timothy 1:5 and 3:15 When Timothy was a little boy, his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice would teach him the Bible. Timothy’s grandmother and mother loved the Bible and wanted Timothy to love it too. When Timothy grew up he did love the Bible like his mother and grandmother because he had known about it since he was a little child.

Acts 8:27-35 Philip was one of Jesus’ helpers. He went to different cities teaching about God’s Word. One time he was walking to another city to preach and he saw a man from Ethiopia reading his Bible. Philip went to the man and helped him to know more about God’s Word. The man began to love God because Philip had taught him the Bible.

Psalm 119 David loved God’s Word the Bible. He knew the Bible was a special book that God had written so we would know how to be good. One night as David took care of God”

Job 1, 23 Job was a man that loved God and did what was right. God was very pleased with Job. Do you know why Job was so good and pleased God so much? Because he read the Bible. He said that he loved to the read the Bible more than he loved to eat. That’s a lot, isn’t it. Do you love to eat? Do you love the Bible?

Prayer: May we never forget Your Word and always love and obey it.

Activities for baby:

Put Bible or picture of Bible in crib for baby to look at.
Read Bible while feeding
Quote verses while rocking to sleep
Show verses on wall or fridge
Show the Bible while you sing about it

Activities for older preschoolers:

Look at the Bible together while singing about it and treating it special.

Make a scroll (what books looked like before there was binding) and paste Bible verses or pictures on it.

Paste a Bible verse on a favorite toy (ex – You could put Psalm 100:1 “Make a joyful noise” on a musical instrument

Make a picture with a Bible verse on it.  Hang it on the wall.  Share Deuteronomy 11:20 “Write God’s Word on your doors & gates”

Make a book marker for their Bible.

Songs:

The Bible is a Special Book (click on to listen)

I Open My Bible (click on to listen)

Suggested Books:
The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes
Leading Little Ones to God: A Child’s Book of Bible Teachings
Good Little King Josiah: 2 Kings 22-23:2, Chronicles 34-35 for Children (Arch Book)

Ephes. 6:2-3
“Honor your father and mother.” This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise.  And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, “you will live a long life, full of blessing.”

No matter what our age, this commandment applies to us.  Appreciate your Dad this week; make him feel special.  If your Dad is no longer living on earth, remember him in love  as you tell your children about their grandfather.  My Dad has been in heaven for 18 years now, so I will ask God this Father’s Day to tell him how much I love him and appreciate the heritage he gave me and my children.

My Dad was such a friendly man; he never met a stranger and would greet anyone he passed on the street with a friendly ‘Hello, how are you?’ People don’t do that much anymore – we walk past one another and don’t even acknowledge anyone is there – but not my dad – I think of him every time this happens.

He was an entrepreneur, always trying something new. He liked to say that he was a ‘jack of all trades and a master of none’.  But that’s not true – he mastered being a dad above anything else!!!  I could talk to him about anything. He was always kind and patient.

He loved his family.  He would tell anyone that would listen about his children and grandchildren.  And he had such a tender heart for his pets.  He even taught our dog to stand up and pray

He became a Christian when I was 12 and immediately delved into the scriptures and became the men’s Bible teacher in our church for a while.  I have so many fond memories of him, but one is particularly special – we had just gotten some good news from my Mom’s doctor and as we left the hospital, walking arm in arm, we sang, “Let’s Just Praise the Lord”!!  One day we will do that again!

I wish every child could have the childhood I had.  Thank you God for my Daddy, Marion Eugene Head.

I’m thankful my children have had that kind of childhood.  Check out the excellent audio sermon series this month about Fathering and Family by the wonderful father of my children at http://www.dudleybaptist.org/

This is definitely something you want to nip in the bud!

Here are a few things you might try:

Talk to your child about the fact that God gave us hands to love, help, pray, etc.

Sing “Be Careful What You Do Little Hands.”

Share 2 Timothy 2:24 – “Be gentle to all”.  Make up a song using the verse and naming who or what we should be gentle with:  be gentle to your friends, your pets, your books, etc.

Demonstrate a gentle touch.

Find pictures of children hugging or touching an animal gently.

Pray with your child, asking God to help him be gentle to all.

You might try putting him in his crib to isolate him.  Tell him he can come out when he learns to control his hands and be gentle.

Read Under Loving Command (Children Fun or Frenzie) for some really helpful discipline pointers.

Don’t give up! Be consistent and pray.  You will see the fruit of your labor – the fruit of gentleness which is one of the 9 fruit of the spirit!

WD-40 has always been around our house and seems to be as valuable to a man as superglue is to a woman. But what does WD-40 stand for? I just found out from a post at Our Daily Journal that it literally stands for ‘Water Displacement 40th attempt’. “In 1953, chemist Norm Larsen was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion—a task which is accomplished by displacing water. Larsen’s unyielding tenacity and persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.”  I thought that was so awesome to see that the name of the product is a reminder to don’t give up.

I also found out from Our Daily Journal that chutzpah (khoot-spuh) is a Jewish/Hebrew word for headstrong persistence, unyielding tenacity, bold determination, and raw nerve. Right now my husband and I have several things concerning our children that we are imploring the Lord for with intense chutzpah. We will not give up until we see God answer. There are several examples of this in scripture and God was pleased with it.

In Genesis 32:24-29 Jacob wrestled with God and said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”  And God blessed him!

In Matthew 15:22-28 a woman comes to Jesus concerning her daughter’s possessed condition and she refused to leave Him alone until He healed her daughter.  Jesus commended her faith.

In Luke 11 Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray and told a story about being persistent in asking.

God is pleased when we trust Him so much we come to Him with chutzpah.  Keep petitioning God on behalf of your children!!!

Listen to this song and sing it with your children as you resolve to  Don’t Give Up (Royal Tapestry Records, 1985)

God satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:5

Attentiveness
(showing the worth of others by using your eyes, ears, and mind to focus on what they are saying or doing)

Here is a week of ideas to teach attentiveness.  Begin by creatively making a poster of one of the following verses and place it on the fridge all week.  Read the suggested passages for Bible stories or thoughts and tell them in your own words.  I have given you suggested things to share about each.  Do at least one of the suggested activities each day.  I am sure you can come up with better ideas on your own – this is just to get you started.  Remember to teach as you go; here a little, there a little.

Bible Verse:

Study to be quiet. 1 Thessalonians 4:11
We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard.  Hebrews 2:1

Bible Stories:

Mark 1:35 Jesus loved to get alone with God so he could be quiet and just listen to God. Usually Jesus would get up very early in the morning to go to a quiet place. There he would pray to God and be quiet and listen to God talk to him.

Psalm 29:3 and 1 Chronicles 16:33   We can hear God in many ways if we will be quiet and listen to God. The Bible says God’s voice is in the waters and the thunder. The Bible also says the trees of the wood sing out the presence of the Lord . If we are quiet we can hear God in many ways.

Luke 2:41-49 Jesus went to the temple when he was 12 years old. He was so glad to get to go. He wanted to learn all he could from the teachers at the temple.  When  his parents got ready to leave they couldn’t find Jesus.  They finally found him sitting with the teachers and listening quietly as they taught about God. Can you be quiet while your teacher or preacher teaches about God?

II Thessalonians 3:12 Jesus wanted everyone to work quietly.  He knew that was the best way to work. When you are talking loudly while you work you can’t do your  best on what you are doing.  If someone else is talking and working and you are not quiet they can’t do their best.. We must study to be quiet while we work or while others work or talk.

Matthew 5-7 One day Jesus went on a mountain and a great many people followed him to the top, of the mountain.  Jesus saw the people and began to teach them. The people sat and listened to Jesus preach about God for hours quietly.  Can you sit and listen quietly when someone is preaching about God?

Prayer: Help us be attentive to God and listen to our teachers and parents.

Activities for baby:

Look him in the eyes without saying anything as you make different expressions
Show a picture of Jesus praying alone
Let him hear different sounds: clock, bell, squeak toy, etc.
Sing quietly to him
Talk in a strong voice and soft voice, a whisper and a shout

Activities for older preschoolers:

Find picture of Jesus praying alone with God and make a puzzle
Make list and gather things that are quiet things to do in “Big Church”
Walk in woods and be very quiet, listen for “God sounds” (birds, rustle of leaves, etc)
Play silent game -who can be quiet the longest
Paint picture without saying a word
Look for clock hidden in room
Identify 5 different expressions on mother’s face – ex. happy, sad, mad, etc.

Songs: Make up songs by fitting  Bible verses or thoughts on attentiveness to a familiar tune
Suggestion: (Tune of Are You Sleeping)
I am listening; I am listening
Yes I am; yes I am
Listening to my parents.
Listening for God sounds
Quietly today; quietly today

What do you do between the time your child rebels and the time he or she comes back to the Lord? In looking at the story of the prodigal son,  we have seen why the son left; and we have seen the father’s loving forgiveness when the son came back. But what do you do during the time of rebellion?

I went to a seminar years ago that dealt with this very issue. I’m sorry I don’t remember who led the seminar but one point stands out.

Truth   +   Space   +    Prayer   +    Unconditional Love  =  A Changed Life!

• Lay the proper foundation of the truth of God’s Word.
• Give them their space . . . let them take flight!
• Continue in warfare praying.
• Show them unconditional love when they return
• This will result in a changed life.

St. Augustine is held in great esteem in Christianity.  But he was not always saintly.  He fell into a rebellious lifestyle and fathered a child out of wedlock.  He was heavy into drinking.  His mother was a virtuous woman by the name of Monica. Sometimes she almost despaired; but she was greatly comforted by a Christian friend who said to her, “A son of so many prayers cannot be lost.” Some time after that he was converted and went on to be one of the founding fathers of the church.

Max Lucado has said, “God has too much invested in a wayward believer to leave them where they are!”

If you have a child who is adrift and wandering from the Lord, meditate and pray the following scriptures . . . there is power in praying the Word .

• 2 Tim. 3:14-15 (NKJV)  
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
• Proverbs 24:15-16 (NKJV)  Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
    Do not plunder his resting place; 
 For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
• Proverbs 11:21 (NKJV)  Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished;
    But the seed of the righteous will be delivered.
• Proverbs 12:7 (NKJV)  The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
    But the house of the righteous will stand.
• Isaiah 59:21 (NKJV)  “As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
• Jeremiah 24:5-7 (NKJV)  “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. [6] For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. [7] Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.
• Psalm 23:3 (NKJV)   He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
• Ezekiel 11:18-20 (NKJV)  And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. [19] Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, [20] that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
• Jeremiah 31:16-17 (NKJV)  Thus says the Lord:”Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord,And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the Lord, That your children shall come back to their own border.

Prayer is the mightiest weapon in the universe.  Use it to reclaim your children.

Many homes know the heartache of watching a child make a major mistake.  Dr. Luke wrote in his gospel account:  Luke 15:11-13 (NKJV)   Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.”

This looks at the sons but focuses on the father. The dad does everything right as he responds to his son.  We see a seven-fold response.

1. The dad let him go without rejecting him. He could have easily said, “Ok, take your inheritance but don’t ever come back here.  The dad allowed the son to make decisions that he knew would not be the best for the son…he respected his son enough to let him make his own decisions. Of course, age is a factor . . . you don’t let a 8 year old, or a 16 year old have this total freedom yet.  Real love grants this freedom to a child of age even if you know it is the wrong decision . . . and you don’t reject them.  Sometimes the best lessons learned are those that we learned through a wrong decision.
2. The dad never stopped caring. Luke 15:20b (NKJV)  . . . his father saw him and had compassion. Everyday that the son was gone, the dad would look and watch intently for his son to return.  Why? . . . he loved his son with all his heart!
3. The dad’s love ran deep.  Luke 15:20b-c (NKJV)  . . .  his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. The dad could have been disgusted with the son.  No . . . this dad loved his son no matter what he looked like, smelled like . . . no matter what wrong he had done!
4. The dad’s love was not conditional. Luke 15:20 (NKJV)  And he arose . . . and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  The dad did not say, “Are you repentant?”  He didn’t ask.  He didn’t wait to see a broken will in the son.  His love for his son was unconditional . . . ”I love you no matter what!”
5. The dad humbled himself in front of all.  Luke 15:20 (NKJV)  …he ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. In that day and age, it was a disgrace for an older man to run in public. He would have to pull up his outer garment and gird it . . . this was undignified.  This dad didn’t care about this. He humbled himself and ran to his son!
6. The dad gave the son undeserved generosity.  Luke 15:22-24 (NKJV)   But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. [23] And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; [24] for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.‘ And they began to be merry. This is nothing more than pure grace!  The tough question is, “discipline or grace?”  In this case, I believe that God had already disciplined the son…now God directs the father to show grace.  For most of us, we probably err on the side of discipline rather than grace.
7. The dad totally accepts the son. Luke 15:21 (NKJV)  And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The dad does not lay down the new ground rules…that will come later…for now, the dad just needs to accept his son . . . as if the deed had never happened!

This is one of the most wonderful illustrations of responding to a child that goes astray.  The dad knew what complete forgiveness looked like:

• It was immediate.
• It was total.
• It was forgotten.  It was not, “I’ll forgive but I can’t forget!”
• It was costly.  If the son bore the price, it was justice. If the father, bore the price, it was forgiveness.  The dad just simply absorbed the son’s wrongs.
• It was restorative.  The former relationship was re-established.

This is the way my heavenly Father loved and forgave me . . . why should I do anything less?  Do you kknow what prodigal means?  It means ‘excessive or extravagant’.  So you have an excessive and extravagant son being given excessive and extravagant love and forgiveness by the dad!!!

But what do you do between the time of their departure from the teachings of Christ and their return?  This is when the heart aches.  So what do you do?  Tomorrow’s post will address this.