We believe children should have strong roots in God’s Word from the ground up.
Psalm One tells us what happens to those who delight in God’s Word and meditate on it day and night. The one who refuses evil and is immersed in the Word of God is like a tree planted by streams of water. He will bear fruit. His leaf won’t wither. What he does will prosper. This isn’t a promise for a certain age category; it’s for young and old alike. Will the lives of children you know look like that tree?
Planted by Streams of Water
Water means life. Without water, a tree will wither and eventually die. If a tree is planted by streams of water, what will its roots be doing? Soaking in life. In Psalm One, water is equated with the Word. Not only is Scripture the Word of Life, but so is Jesus Himself. Jesus gave His life to ensure we could soak our souls in His life. Do we ensure our children know how to access their source of life? Where are these children planting their roots?
Yielding Fruit in its Season
When a tree is planted by a stream of water, its roots will be healthy and solid. That tree will bear good, hearty fruit. Imagine with me what that fruit would look like as it ripens and matures. What kind of crop could the Word of God produce in the young lives who receive it? Everyone produces fruit. What type of fruit are we preparing our children to yield? John 15 says that when God’s people are saturated in the life of Jesus, they will produce fruit that lasts forever and brings glory to Christ. That is certainly what we want for the children in your life.
Its Leaf Does Not Wither
A tree basking near the water won’t shrivel up and die. Neither will a Christian who abides in Jesus lose their source and supply of strength. Think about making disciples who know where to get their refreshment, who to turn to for strength, and how to persevere in the toughest of storms. Those are the oaks of righteousness we want to see growing in your homes and churches and ministries.
Everything He Does Prospers
Charles Spurgeon once said, “You may speak but a word to a child and in that child there may be slumbering a noble heart which shall stir the Christian Church in years to come.” If we’re leading children to their Source of Life and they choose to abide in Him, I wonder where they will be in thirty years? Leaders in the church? Missionaries on the foreign field? Maybe evangelists, opening their hearts and homes to ex-drug addicts and the homeless? Maybe church planters or pastors or teachers of the Word? Maybe men and women simply serving faithfully in their everyday lives? Whatever they do, if their roots are planted in the Source of Life, they will flourish.
The Source of Life
We desire for children to be firmly rooted in this manner and are excited for how our newest semester, The Source of Life, will aid in Christ-centered discipleship from the ground up. The Source of Life highlights stories from the first 33 chapters of Genesis, from the creation account to Jacob’s return to the Promised Land. Through these lessons, children will take away an understanding of man’s nature and the nature of God and His purpose for man. They will see that, because God is our source of life, when man chose to sin and separate himself from God, he separated himself from Life. However, instead of allowing man to remain in sin and death, God pursued a people to set apart for Himself and restore to a life of freedom. As we follow Christ and seek Him above all else, trusting and depending on Him, we can live in that freedom and experience the fullness of the joy that He so delights to give.
You can learn more about Semester 2: The Source of Life HERE. Additionally, you can now PRE-ORDER Semester 2 for your church, family, or ministry by clicking HERE.
