Are your children happy?

Children should be happy. One of the Bible predictions about the future is that, when Jesus reigns, “the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets” (Zech 8.5). 

One test of a nation’s moral character is its treatment of the innocent, the weak, and the vulnerable. If such members of society live in fear of abuse, mistreatment, or death, it seems obvious to all right-thinking people that there is a moral deficiency in the nation. 

Children should live free from such fears. They will one day. They certainly do not now. 

Children are not safe in the streets. They are not safe in the schools. They are not safe (often) in their own homes. Sadly they are not even safe in the womb of their mother. How cold, callous, and celebrative of wickedness must a nation be to rejoice in the slaughter of infants? Is this how society improves? Should we slaughter the innocent for the sins of the guilty? 

It’s not fair!!!

From a very early age, children have an in-built sense of fairness. One of the very first reasoned comments that a child may make is ‘It’s not fair!’ 

As we go on through life, this sense of fairness matters more. We can be disheartened by being treated unfairly. May be at work we get blamed for something we have not done, or someone lets us do all the work and then takes the credit. It could be that people misunderstand our actions, misread our words, or misjudged our motives. It is a wonderful thing to remember that whatever we do, say, or are motivated by, God knows and hears our words in the way that we meant them and fully understands why it is that we have done whatever we do. 

In the Bible, the Lord Jesus says, ‘My judgement is righteous.’ He has no ulterior motive and is incapable of doing anything less than what is perfectly right. In one sense, knowing that Jesus Christ will be our judge is great because there will be no miscarriage of justice.

Significant Milestones

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In the past month, I have witnessed some significant milestones in life. Firstly, my old aunt of 90 years of age passed away. It was a wonderful release for her as she was sure of arriving safely in heaven when she closed her eyes in death. You may think this to be presumptive or ill-founded. My aunt was an intelligent person who had a career as a school teacher. Many years ago, she had become convinced that her sins needed to be forgiven and that humans are accountable to their Creator. Her hope was based solidly on the following verses from the Bible:

‘The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost,’ 1 Timothy 1. 15

Jesus said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life,’ John 5:24

‘The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance,’ 2 Peter 3:9.

The second milestone was a wedding. I love weddings, but this one was a bit more daunting as I was officiating at it. Everything had to be right as I stood before friends and family - no pressure. A wedding is a wonderful occasion marked by love, joy and beauty. The Creator attended the first wedding in the Bible as He united two lives in the great joy of an intimate relationship. The Lord Jesus also attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee and brought joy to the day when he replenished the supply of wine. Wine in the Bible is often a symbol of joy. He, Jesus, still brings joy to those who welcome His presence and company as they walk the path of life.

Children in Need

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What has Solomon from the Old Testament, the prophet Joel, again from the Old Testament, the late Sir Terry Wogan and Pudsey Bear got in common? Care for children, for ‘Children in Need’ to use the phrase from the BBC’s annual appeal as it raises millions of pounds to fund services for children. 

 

In Psalm 127, which is a song by Solomon for worship, we read that “Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord.” As a comprehensive school teacher, I have had the privilege of working with thousands of youngsters for over 25 years now and also had the privilege of helping out in Sunday school work and Youth work. Children have, and continue to be a very important part of my day-to-day life. 

Faith & Children

 

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Many young people plan careers to do with children as teachers or similar. Well, to Jesus, children were important, first in what they were and secondly in what they represented.

 

Talking about children, let me give you my favourite illustration of what faith is. I often stand a few steps down the stairs at home, and my youngest granddaughter stands at the top of the stairs. I open my arms, and she jumps into my arms. She knows nothing about the laws of gravity or about the dynamics of bone breakage, but she still jumps. Faith is like that; it doesn’t know everything that can be known, but, as a child, it trusts in its object of trust. In this case, that’s me! In the same way, to be a person of faith in Christ, one has to be childlike but, of course, not childish. 

 

The most mature people were urged by Jesus, the Son of God, to be childlike. There are two particular child-related reported incidents in His life when His disciples did not end up looking good. Each of these incidents is recorded by the gospel writers Matthew, Mark and Luke, but each from his own particular perspective. 

 

In the first reported incident, the disciples came to Jesus, and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’  Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said to his disciples, truly except you be converted [turn right around – do a U-turn], and become as little children, you shall not even enter into the kingdom of heaven. Then He went on to say that whoever is prepared to humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The picture presented by this necessary conversion is that of turning round in a road and facing the other way. 

 

In the second incident, some little children were brought to Jesus in order that he should put his hands on them, and pray, seeking a blessing for them; however, the disciples scolded the children and tried to send them away. But Jesus told them to allow the little children to come to Him, and not to stop them coming to me because He said ‘of such is the kingdom of heaven’, and as requested, He laid his hands on them. 

 

In the parallels given in the gospels, we have some interesting personal touches in telling us what Jesus did and how He felt:

 

·      ‘Jesus was much displeased’

·      ‘Jesus called the children to him' and 

·      ‘Jesus took them up in his arms’ 

 

The sort of people who make up God’s kingdom are childlike and trusting. Child-like faith in Christ as your Saviour gets you into the kingdom of heaven, and child-like behaviour thereafter, i.e., humility and selfless service, gives you true spiritual importance. 

 

Never underestimate the importance of children; Jesus didn’t.  

Written for FTMP by a Guest Blogger

Giving and receiving this Christmas

Giving and receiving this Christmas

Do you appreciate your children and grandchildren? Do the stories of disadvantaged and ill children that you see when the various charitable appeals run pull at your heartstrings? Do you think - ‘that could be me or my child’? Do you wonder how you would cope? We should be truly grateful for how well off we are! It’s another reason why we all need to play our part in giving to charity this festive season. 

Recent political debates are in danger of encouraging a view that says we need to be selfish and look after ourselves. The great tradition in this country has been to be generous and look after the needy, the poor and the disadvantaged.

Have you ever wondered why there is consistently such a need? Why is there cruelty? Why are there disadvantaged children? Why does the problem never go away? What is the cause of the problem? It's one thing to give money to change people's lives it’s another to consider why the situation exists in the first place? That’s just life I hear you say! These things happen!

The Bible tells us why. It is because of sin. Our Forefather, Adam, brought 'sin into the world and death by sin'. If we are honest we are all in the habit of sinning. Sin is dressed up in many guises; pride, selfishness, lust, coveting things and people and so on. Sin rarely only affects me, it affects others as well and sadly it often affects people who have no power to do anything about it i.e. the young, the weak and vulnerable. 

But the good news is things can be different! I do not believe that society can enjoy permanent reform as a result of a political solution. The Bible promises a reformed world when Jesus returns to earth but until then change is made on a ‘case by case’ basis! This is the essence of why Jesus came. He came to bring hope in despair, joy in sorrow and life where there was death. This life is of a different quality. It is the life of God as opposed to human life. It is described in the Bible as ‘eternal life’. Jesus talked about it in terms of knowing God – ‘and this is eternal life that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent’, John 17. 3. It describes the quality of life now and well as the length of existence in the next life. This life is available to everyone because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus but it only becomes effective in a person’s life when they repent and receive salvation as a gift from God.

Please, don't stop giving to good charities this Christmas but also give some thought to your need of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Thanks for reading this.

Stephen    

The innocency of childhood

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If you observe the behaviour of young children, it is often fascinating. They are more honest than adults, they let you know when they are happy, and when they are upset, as adults we often hide our emotions behind such phrases as, ‘I’m fine’ or I’ll be Okay!’ When often we are not, and we definitely will not be Okay!

Young children do not have to be taught to do wrong, that seems to come naturally. However, our God-given conscience tells us when we have done wrong. Young children often hide from their parents when they have disobeyed and often this is the first time their parents know of the minor misdemeanour.

The value of childlike trust

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People living in Merseyside, indeed people everywhere, have been devastated and shocked by the recent killing of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in the Dovecot area of Liverpool. We extend our prayers and deepest sympathies to the Pratt-Korbel family. What a waste of a young life, bringing heartbreak and pain to her family and friends. It is evil to take a life, but for most of us, it is stepping far over the line when a child is killed. Children are precious and the foundation upon which the hopes and aspirations of succeeding generations are built. 

 

The Lord Jesus had a special place in His heart for children. One day a group of parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them[i]’. His disciples scolded the parents for bothering Jesus. They were, no doubt, amazed when Jesus turned and told them, ‘Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God’ [ii]. What did Jesus mean? He was saying that children are like those who are going to heaven. They trust with simple faith, just as those going to heaven turn from their sin and trust God with childlike faith. Isn’t it wonderful how a child trusts a parent! The belief that the parent is there for them and will look after them is very special. When that trust is betrayed, it has lifelong adverse effects on a person’s life. God will never betray your trust. One Bible writer says, ‘we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men’ [iii].

Remembering Sir Nicholas Winton

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Towards the end of 1938, a stock-broker, born to German-Jewish parents, travelled from England, which had become his home, to Prague, Czechoslovakia, knowing that upon arrival, he would find many people displaced from their homes. Some were living with relatives, others living rough or in camps with little food and trying their best to keep warm in the winter conditions. At the age of 29, he had so far lived a relatively comfortable life, but hearing about Jews who had lost their jobs and suffered other forms of persecution, he set out to see if there was anything he could do to help.

Whilst a number of organisations were working away, things were getting tougher. He was concerned with rescuing children, but amongst other challenges, was the problem of transporting unaccompanied children across Europe into Britain. Nicholas used his political connections to put certain things in order and his mother went to the ‘Home Office’ to make his rescue plan possible.

One minute can change everything?

 

A lot can change in a minute. We all know the cliches about a week being a long time (in politics), and a lot can happen in a day, but the truth is that life can change completely in less than a minute. 

For instance, if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, something can happen that you never envisaged and suddenly, everything changes. I’ll never forget when eleven-year-old Rhys Jones from my home city of Liverpool was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He lived in a respectable home in a decent area of the city. His mum worked in our local Tesco Store. He was just an ordinary boy enjoying life, loving his football and playing out, as boys do. But on that sad day, he died in the crossfire between two rival gangs. For the Jones family on the 22nd of August 2007, everything changed in a moment. His life was ended, his parents and family were devastated, and his blood was on the hands of the young man who pulled the trigger and those who were involved in providing the weapon. 

I apologise if the recall of this tragic incident drags up painful memories for any who read this. I cannot express my sympathy enough for your loss and the lifelong grief that results from it. I’m not writing to try to explain why such horrible things happen - apart from the obvious fact that people are capable of doing evil things and good and that they will be held responsible for what they have done on the future day of judgment. I am writing to remind you of how life can change irrevocably in a moment. 

So, what are the lessons we need to learn and what difference can they make in our lives? There are many!

Enjoy the moment!

Value and cherish your relationships!

Don’t take people for granted!

Make the most of the time you have!

Things are not that important; people are!

Tell people you care and appreciate them while you can!

Try to live without regrets!

As much as it depends on you, live at peace with others!

Forgive and forget!

W-H-Y?

Just three letters: W-H-Y. 

Why? 

Why so much pain? 

Why so much wickedness? 

Why do people suffer?.. 

Why?Why,?Why? 

Have you ever wrestled with this question? Perhaps you've lost a loved one, or maybe you know of some innocent person who has suffered terribly. And just wondered.. Why?

Well, God's Word, the Bible gives the answer. What brought suffering and pain? Yes, it is the result of man's original sin in the Garden of Eden. 'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned,' Romans 5:12, the Bible. But perhaps you wonder, why did God allow sin to continue? Couldn't He have stopped it at once and destroyed the sinners?