Children are God's Gift

 “Fathers and mothers do not forget that children learn more by the eye than they do by the ear… Imitation is a far stronger principle with children than memory. What they see has a much stronger effect on their minds than what they are told.”  J.C. Ryle 

  A man shared with his pastor that for years he went to church at Christmas and watched as the advent candle was lit by these beautiful families, so well-dressed, well-mannered, and well-spoken. He thought to himself: “I wish I was living in a family like that. I wish my family was so put together.” What he didn't know is that beneath the surface of so many of those apparently perfect families were real-life problems and challenges. 

  Families aren’t just for perfect Facebook or Instagram posts. It’s not just for cheery-faced families or individuals with Hallmark-card lives. Our Heavenly Father is a God who loves and cares deeply for people with real struggles. There are no perfect families. Read the Bible and you’ll quickly discover some very messed up families. It's why we need the cross! Wonderfully, we have a perfect loving Heavenly Father.

  I laughed when I read one Mommy blogger who posted: “Do you know how many parenting experts there are out there? At least 3 billion. If you include random strangers in grocery stores offering free advice on how you should raise your kids, closer to 5 billion. Parenting gurus with research and thought-provoking philosophies. Books filled with creative ideas for cajoling babies to eat, poop, and sleep on command. For every child behavior issue, there are twenty experts with solutions.” The truth is there are a lot of opinions on parenting but only one true Authority. He created us and knows what’s best for us and our children.

  This morning we are having a child dedication for several Grace Church families. More accurately though it’s a Parent Dedication. These parents are committing to raise their children in a way that pleases the Lord and according to God’s Word. But because there is some confusion on what it means to dedicate a child to the Lord, let me explain what we believe that Scripture teaches about child dedication.

  First, a child dedication service is not biblically required. There are examples in Scripture where a parent dedicated their child to the Lord, but they’re not commanded nor are they the norm. For example, Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel dedicated him to God (1 Samuel 1)) and she left him at the Tabernacle so that his whole life would be dedicated to the Lord. Many others though did not. FYI: We do not want anyone to leave their child at church this morning, though I’m sure some parents wouldn’t mind if we took them for a few hours.

  Second, a child dedication service does not attain salvation for that child. Anything that we say and do this morning will not make this child spiritual, saved or destined for heaven. Salvation is an individual, personal decision and by grace alone (Eph. 2:8-9). A parent can’t trust the Lord for their child. God doesn’t have any grandchildren. What saves us is God’s grace. What saves us is trust and faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. This dedication is a prayer and commitment, asking God to please one day bring our child into a saving knowledge of Christ. It’s a prayer by the parent/s committing to raise that child in obedience to Scripture.

  Third, a child dedication service is not related to baptism or circumcision. Jewish people to this day have a male child circumcised on the 8^th day. It’s a ceremony that indicates trust that this physical action identifies them with the physical nation of Israel that was given physical promises through their patriarch Abraham. Christians do not believe circumcision is necessary as any marker of true religious faith.

  A baby dedication also has nothing to do with baptism. Baptism is the outward symbol of saving faith in Jesus Christ. It’s the public act of being immersed in water to symbolize that we have immersed our lives into Christ. It’s much like a wedding ring. A wedding ring doesn’t make you married but symbolizes that you are married. Baptism is a symbol one has personally trusted in Jesus Christ. A child doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to make that commitment. Search the Bible for yourself and you will not find one case of a baby being baptized.

  Child Dedication is an acknowledgment that your child is a gift from God. “Children are a gift from God; they are His reward” (Psalms 127:3, Living Bible). Like everything else that we have, children a gift from a generous God (James 1:17). It’s because children are a special gift that we find instructions in Scripture about how parents are to raise their children. It’s because children are a special gift that those who cannot physically have children adopt or search for medical solutions. Because children are a special gift our hearts bleed when we see children mistreated or harmed.

  God expects parents to train their children in righteousness. Though Ephesians 6:4 says fathers, primarily because Dads are to be the spiritual leaders in the home, it’s for both Dads and Moms. “…Do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Too many parents put all of their focus on the temporal and external. Your child’s education, appearance and abilities whether they are academic or athletic are minor compared to their inner spiritual life. Yet, it is very difficult to model what you are not. One of the greatest gifts that you can give your child is to love and obey the Lord yourself.

  God is using your child to make you more Christlike. All of us have spiritual character deficiencies. A child has a way of highlighting those chinks in our armor. God uses children to drive us to dependence on Him. If you think that you have all of the answers to parenting, you’re foolish (idiot seemed a little strong). Too many of us fail at parenting because we parent the way that we were parented and assume it’s good enough. God wants us to parent as He parents us. That means care, compassion and correction. It means dependence on His power and His truth.

  Children are a wonderful gift from God and He uses them to make us, to show us how much He loves us, to draw us closer, and to be more dependent on Him. They are His wonderful gift to us! And may we as the Grace Church family pray, encourage, and support these young families as they seek to raise their children to glorify the Lord!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Is it okay to enjoy your money?

“A wise person should have money in their head, 

but not in their heart.”   Jonathan Swift

Money is NOT the root of all evil. There are some common sayings attributed to the Bible that are untrue and just aren’t in the Bible. Money is not inherently evil. Many misquote 1 Timothy 6:10 which actually says: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” It’s not money that’s a problem. It’s loving it. It’s making it an idol and letting it have precedence in your heart before God.

  We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we live within our means. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we save for the days to come. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we focus on paying down debt. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we pay our bills and when we expend effort in attempting to reduce our bills. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we avoid all those deep-debt, high-interest, I-need-more-stuff ways to live. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we give generously to the Lord’s work. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we help someone in need. Ultimately, we’re faithful managers of God’s money when we live with an awareness that money is a terrible god but a beautiful means of serving God.

  But along the way, we can develop a very formal and professional relationship with money, where money becomes little more than a tool. Every dollar has a job—paying the bills and paying down the mortgage, and saving for retirement, and supporting the missionaries. Every dollar has a job, but not many of those jobs are fun. We use our money dutifully, but rarely have fun with it. Money then ceases to be a tool and becomes a taskmaster. That’s not God’s plan! God wants us to enjoy this gift!

  Many are away this Labor Day weekend enjoying their money. God wants us to do that! Money is a gift from our Heavenly Father, every penny of it. When you give a gift to your child don’t you want them to enjoy the gift? Absolutely!

  Scripture gives us a theology of money and management. We’re to handle what God has entrusted to us wisely and in a way that pleases Him. As God enjoys being generous, there is true enjoyment that comes from using our resources to be generous as God has been generous to us.

  Yet, a biblical fact that is often overlooked and rarely taught is that God wants us to enjoy the money He has given us. Many Christians live in guilt or feel guilty about enjoying the money that their Father gave them. When was the last time you just enjoyed your money? Money is a tool. But that’s it — it’s just a tool. Feel free to enjoy it.

  recently, Jane and I were vacationing in Northern Minnesota where we spent time with some dear friends, Tom and Leesa Drury. During that time I preaching for two of my friends: Tom Drury and Mike English. It took money to make this trip and we enjoyed spending it. Jane and I always look for unique restaurants and interesting stops along the way. All of that takes money. And while we were up there, we did some fishing (be prepared for some fish stories). Minnesota charges for a fishing license. For the sheer enjoyment, it’s money well spent.

  Too often the Church’s teaching on money is similar to much of the Church’s teaching on sexual intimacy. It’s spoken of so negatively with so much guilt and pressure attached to it, that God’s intent of enjoyment is missed. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God. God has three purposes for sexual intimacy: procreation, unification, and recreation. God gave it to us for enjoyment. Like money, when it is used properly within God’s plan of marriage, it’s intended for pleasure.

  Too often the teaching about wealth is negative and even toxic. Some have been hit with the “money is evil” message so often and so hard that they feel guilty if they enjoy money as a gift from God and miss out on His will. If money were inherently evil, why does the Bible contain so many examples of faithful men and women who had massive wealth and yet whose devotion to God is never questioned? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, David, Solomon, Joseph of Arimathea, and Lydia are a few examples of biblical heroes who were wealthy, loved God, honored Him with the wealth He gave them and enjoyed God’s good gift of wealth.  

  Our Heavenly Father didn’t entrust us with money to endure it but to enjoy it. Are you enjoying yours? When was the last time that you let yourself enjoy the money God gave to you? When was the last time you gave each of your kids (or grandkids) $20 and set them free in the toy store? When was the last time you enjoyed a truly relaxing vacation? When was the last time you went to the specialty store and bought some amazing crackers and cheese? When was the last time you sat and savored a slightly-too-expensive yet an almost-too-delicious cup of coffee? When was the last time you bought a new book just because? When was the last time you bought an extravagant bouquet of flowers for your wife? When was the last time you allowed yourself to really enjoy your money?

  Many of us have debt for houses, cars, or college debt. We need to pay our bills and have a plan. Even if you owe bucks deluxe, if you never let yourself enjoy your hard-earned money for something within reason, debt can devolve into a source of irritation and even bitterness. Yes, we need to exercise self-control with money and put it to good use. It’s also good and God’s plan to enjoy it. It’s more than a tool; it’s also a means of pleasure.

  And here’s the wonderful reality: The better you manage your money as God’s money, the greater your enjoyment of these little pleasures. When all you want to do with your money is to seek indulgence, it will deliver ever-diminishing pleasures. When you faithfully manage it, those small pleasures are far richer and far sweeter. So use your money, and use it wisely, and use it for God’s glory. Remember though to enjoy it as well. It’s a gift from your Heavenly Father. He enjoys it when His children enjoy and are grateful for His gifts!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.