This morning, I posted a devotional based on 1 Samuel 1:27-28, which says: "'For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.' So they worshiped the Lord there." You can read the entire devotional on my Facebook page, but I want to share this portion of it and make a pointed application in this post.
God blesses Hannah with a son. She will be faithful to her vow and give him back to the God who had given Samuel to her. Children are a gift from God. They are His. Sons and daughters are on loan to us for a season, and we are stewards of those precious lives to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord,” (Eph. 6:4b NKJV). We pray for them and prepare them by entrusting them to God’s care, leading them in God’s path, and sending them into God’s service. The legacy of faith must be transmitted from one generation to the next.
Samuel would impact a nation. For good or bad, our children will make a difference. Samuel was one who worshipped the Lord from childhood and was devoted to living to the glory of God. May that be the kind of children we pray for and prepare for God to use. One day, parents will answer for their stewardship of these precious lives entrusted to us.
School has started back. Young adults have gone off to college. From a human perspective, it is frightful. The world is set against them. Colleges are primarily indoctrination centers and increasingly the public school system is bowing to this mission. Truth is being supplanted by deception and the goal of Satan is to drag our children down to hell and the culture along with it. His hatred of children is documented throughout the Bible. His intent to destroy the family begins in Eden and has continued through the centuries.
Pray for your children. Pray for the teachers, professors, and administrators where they attend. Seek God's will whether you are to send your children to public schools or a Christian school, or even homeschool. God will reveal His will. No matter what the government says, the children do not belong to them. Neither do they belong to you, but they have been placed in your care by God who gave them and wants them back. Let me say that if you are seeking as a believer to be a force for good as you are employed in government schools that we are grateful for you. Your numbers are few, but your impact can be large--and you merit our prayers and encouragement.
The church cannot supplant the role of parents, but we are called to support them. My hope is that God will use you to counteract the evil of abortion by having children--a lot of them! Then, may we overwhelm this culture of wickedness, by an army of holiness--children who are children of God--millions of shining lights to repel the darkness, and salt to stop the spread of decay.
Yours for the Children,
Dennis Thurman, AMS
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