Even though Mike and I pray for our children and even as a newborn we dedicate them to the Lord, there is something special about having a dedication service for your child. That happened on Sunday for Ashlyn!
Our church tries to have a service like this once every few years and every time we have a huge group! That's one blessing of a growing church! There were 12 families with children that dedicated them to the Lord.
The devotional before the service was very good too! (Thanks brother Jason for sharing!) Jason read a poem that I really liked and he later texted it to me. His topic was on children, being it was a baby dedication service.
Some other thoughts of what were said on Sunday were: "Children will believe what they see ... not always what they hear." "The children are our next generation." "Love is the only thing on earth that can take all the hatred away!" In Deuteronomy 21:18-21, it talks about when a son was stubborn and rebellious and after the parents tried to bring correction and nothing helped ... they were to take him to the elders of his city and they stoned him. Yikes!!! They really took sin seriously back in the Old Testament days and we should today yet! However, things changed big time when Jesus came and died for our sins! He gave us a much better way!!! He said things like "Suffer the little children to come unto me", "I forgive you", "Go, and sin no more"!
There is a better way for us today!!! Thank you Lord!!! Let's be willing to tell our children our mistakes and help them to grow up being a 'better' man or woman of God. Let's help them 'do better than we did'!!!
Jesus ALWAYS loved the children and NEVER pushed them back! He noticed them and spoke of them often in the Bible! He even referred to them as "for of such is the kingdom of God" Mark 10:15. It says, "And He took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." Verse 16. Imagine being that child? Those children ... that He took and held and blessed! What an experience!
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Here we are praying a prayer of blessing over Ashlyn!
The whole group! 2012 Baby Dedication!
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The poem that my brother Jason read as part of his devotional goes like this:
We need to teach our daughters to distinguish between:
a man who flatters her
and a man who compliments her,
a man who spends money on her
and a man who invests in her,
a man who views her as property
and a man who views her properly,
a man who lusts after her
and a man who loves her,
a man who believes he's a gift to women
and a man who believes she's a gift to him.
And then we need to teach our sons
to be that kind of man.
I love that!!! Have a blessed day! Cherish your children! Give extra hugs and kisses today and realize that they are gifts from the Lord!
