Your Children

Your children (Charles Spurgeon)

"Bring him unto Me!" Mark 9:19

Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples, to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had failed--but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil one, when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus' word, "Bring him unto Me!"

Your children are a precious gift from God--but much anxiety comes with them. They may be a great joy--or a great bitterness to their parents. They may be filled with the Spirit of God--or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the Word of God gives us one recipe for the curing of all their ills, "Bring them unto Me!"

O for more agonizing prayer on their behalf, while they are yet babes. Sin is there, let our prayers begin to attack it.

In the days of their youth we shall see sad tokens of that dumb and deaf spirit, which will neither pray aright, nor hear the voice of God in the soul--but Jesus still commands, "Bring them unto Me!" When they are grown up, they may wallow in sin and foam with enmity against God! Then, when our hearts are breaking--we should remember the great Physician's words, "Bring them unto Me!" Never must we cease to pray for them--until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless--while Jesus lives.

The Lord sometimes allows His people to be driven into a corner--that they may experimentally know how necessary He is to them. Ungodly children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of their hearts--drive us to flee to the Strong One for strength--and this is a great blessing to us!

Whatever this day's need may be, let it like a strong current--bear us to the ocean of divine love! Jesus can soon remove our sorrow. He delights to comfort us. Let us hasten to Him--while He waits to meet us!

End quote.

There is no promise of God to save our children. But we do know that He is the only one Who can. Pray for your children early on. Pray for their teen years while they are still little. Pray that He will go before you, perhaps in His mercy to cause those years to be less torrential and more peaceable, asking for His wisdom in dealing with them.

One thing parenting does: it teaches just how much we need Christ! I wouldn't know how selfish or impatient I really can be had I not been given children. But I also would not rely on Christ that much more either.

Pray for your children's salvation, that God might be pleased to save them, perhaps early in life. Preach the Gospel to them, tell them their need for forgiveness of their sins by God. Always remember, no matter how precious they are, inside they are God-haters unless He saves them. Keep the standard high at home, in line with Scripture, as much as possible. Don't compromise---its too hard to turn the clock back, to withdraw the "yes's" when there should've been more "no's". Parent with the future in view: do you want an unruly and disrespectful teen or adult? Then parent the toddler accordingly. Pro 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Never presume upon God to be obligated to save your children (because He isn't). This will keep you earnestly seeking God's grace and mercy before the Throne Room.