GOT KIDS?

“Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ …Andrew…, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish…” John 6:5; 8-9

This story reveals the miraculous power of Jesus – He fed thousands with just a sack lunch. But what can get lost in this miracle is the bold faith of Andrew to even approach the Lord with the idea of ‘A’ lunch (not even his) feeding so many and the willingness of the boy to share.

All of them (Jesus, Andrew and the boy) are noteworthy. Especially the power of Jesus to transcend human logic by feeding a multitude with one lunch. My question: ‘who packed the boy’s lunch?’ Wouldn’t this person, in God’s eyes, also share in the blessing of the miracle. Most every miracle brings God triple the glory: First, to Him, who was able to show His power; then, the one who was willing to be a vessel; and finally, the one/ones who were conduits of God to prepare the vessel for use. Given this, the primary role of moms (all parents) is…

TO PREPARE OUR KIDS…

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Parents must prepare their kids for all phases of life - mental, emotional and spiritual. Life has many challenges and kids who’ve been made ready have a fighting chance. How do we ready them? We train (direct/discipline) them. This requires patient persistence on our part. Malachi 2:15 says God gave marriage because He wanted Godly offspring. Our kids are our first mission field. So plant and plow this field well and they will be Godly.

…AND POINT THEM TO JESUS.

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life…” John 6:27

As parents, we point our kids in many directions: School; sports; music and work, just to name a few. These are all great to our kids development. But the most important component in our children is their spiritual growth. For some reason this young boy was at a Jesus rally. Why was he there? Most likely, either his parents brought him to Jesus, or at the very least allowed him to go. The best way to point our kids to Jesus is by leading them.