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Children are special, a special gift from God, that is. We bear children, not only because we love children, but because God calls His people to “Bring forth godly offspring.” Somehow God has also motivated us to realize that children are a blessing. So, those who do not have them yet pray to have their own. Ironically, in this American society, there are some folks who consider children as a nuisance, misery, and grief. But Psalm 127:3-5 says, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.“
What makes Children a blessing? Psalm 127 partly answers this question. Children are a heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. In addition, children are a blessing in that they are weapons in the armory of God to protect the spiritual heritage of the Christian family of faith. They are raised to become straight arrows which are then shot out into the battle of faith, fit to do war with the enemy. We must all pray for this kind of children, who also sit and “speak with the enemies in the gate,” giving account of their faith and the glory of their God. So, our children are a blessing to us, but they are also like arrows in the hands of a mighty man. An arrow is dangerous by itself, but in the hands of a mighty man, they become doubly dangerous. The arrow is already an effective instrument, then you get it in the hands of a mighty man, and it becomes doubly effective. Here in Psalm 127, the Bible is likening our children to arrows and we the parents can be the mighty man. Before an arrow assumes its effectiveness, someone must work diligently to shape it. The mighty man must still maintain his arrow, to make it effective.
Our children are like arrows. Until we release them as adults, we must spend time taking care of them, polishing them, sharpening them, straightening them, and aiming them in the direction of God’s will. One day we will release that arrow and to hit the mark we must make sure they are aimed properly! We must direct them toward Christ and His will! We cannot start too soon, but these days, many parents are starting too late. Raising children the right way is not easy, but if we follow God’s blueprint, it makes our job a little easier and makes the outcome a little more certain. In the same Psalm 127, the psalmist says, “unless the Lord builds the house, the builders build in vain.” Children have been given especially to us by God. He has placed them in our care to raise, and like the house we build; the outcome is largely up to us, but the Bible says we need help, help from God.
As we pay special attention to our children today, I want us to remember that God gave us a special assignment over these children. The blessings of Psalm 127 will only be ours when we achieve the goals that have been set for us. So, as we seek to implement God’s plan for us over these children, the first thing we must be sure of is that we know what the plan is. Whenever we plan to build a house, we usually start with a plan. So, we must make sure we know the plan. Always have the end-result in mind. What are we trying to achieve? Have we checked the blueprint of God? Do we periodically check how we are doing? Are we building to code?
God’s plan is that we raise godly offspring. So have a plan that brings up godly offspring. Teach them about Salvation. The Bible says that “without faith it is impossible to please God…” They need to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior because only believers can glorify God the way He wants to be glorified. Teach them about Love – Not only do our kids need to know Christ as their Savior, but they must also be lovers of Him and other people. Teach them about righteousness– Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness…” Teach them about Christlike Character – Throughout the Scriptures we’re taught that God’s desire for us is that we be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ: His image as it is expressed in our actions, our attitudes and in our thoughts. Now, that’s the plan. When we are through building our kids, we ought to be able to step back and see someone who is saved, a lover of God who has a great desire to be like Christ, to love like Christ, and to live like Christ; a child who will then live life according to God’s divine purpose. A child who will be a blessing to the parents, to the community and to God Himself. In all of these always remember to bless them just as Christ did. Lay hands on them, cry to God on their behalf, ask for God’s help because if He does not build, we build in vain. The Lord will always do His part as our children will indeed be blessed and be a blessing.– Pastor Simbo Odunaiya
