EXEMPLARY CHILDREN IN THE BIBLE : BIBLICAL GUIDELINES FOR RAISING CHILDREN
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OUTLINE
1. JESUS
2. SAMUEL
3. THE YOUNG GIRL IN THE HOUSE OF NAAMAN
4. THE BOY WITH THE FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISHES
5. MIRIAM , THE SISTER OF MOSES
6. JOHN THE BAPTIST
7. JEREMIAH THE PROPHET
THE MESSAGE
EXEMPLARY CHILDREN IN THE BIBLE : BIBLICAL GUIDELINES FOR RAISING CHILDREN
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1. JESUS
The Lord Jesus was an exemplary child. He grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man. He was well versed in the Scriptures. Even as a child at the age of twelve , He could discuss spiritual truths with the religious scholars . Jesus is an example for our children. We should also bring up our children in the ways of the Lord and teach them the scriptures at an early age. We should be greatly concerned about their spiritual growth and their relationship with the Lord and get them involved in activities that would enable them to grow in the Lord .
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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LUKE 2: 40-52
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover.
When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.
After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.
Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.
When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?"
But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
2. SAMUEL
Samuel was an exemplary child. Even as a child he was ministering before the Lord . He grew up in the presence of the Lord and grew in stature and in favour with the Lord and with people. As a result , at a time when the word of the Lord was rare , The Lord spoke to the child Samuel . The Lord did not choose to speak to the older priests but rather chose to speak to a child who was serving him faithfully. The Lord chose Samuel to become a great prophet to the people of Israel. When we raise up our children to serve the Lord even at a young age , they can also experience hearing the voice of the Lord and be a great blessing to others .
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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1 SAMUEL 2 : 11 , 18 , 21 , 26
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.
But Samuel was ministering before the LORD-a boy wearing a linen ephod.
And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with people.
1 SAMUEL 3:1-10
The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.
The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am."
And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
A third time the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.
So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ’Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
3. THE YOUNG GIRL IN THE HOUSE OF NAAMAN
The young girl who served as a maid in the house Naaman was an exemplary child. Even though she was taken captive from her homeland , she had no bitterness towards her master. She did not rejoice to see him as a leper . She did not wish that all the others in that home should also become lepers. Instead she wanted her master to be healed of his leprosy. She testified about the prophet in Israel who could heal her master. She may not have been able to preach a sermon or heal a leper . But she did what she could and shared the testimony about the prophet of the Lord. And through her testimony , Naaman was able to get healed from leprosy. We must also raise our children to testify about the Lord even at a young age and the Lord would use them to bless others.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 KINGS 5:1-3
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.
She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
4. THE BOY WITH THE FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISHES
The boy with the five loaves and two fishes was an exemplary child. When Jesus was teaching a great multitude , He wanted to provide food for them. There was no food available except the five loaves and two fishes of this boy. When his food was needed , this boy was unselfish and generous to share his food with the people . Therefore the Lord used him as an instrument to perform a great miracle. This boy was a channel of blessing to meet the needs of a great multitude. We must also raise our children to be unselfish and generous .Then the Lord would be able to use them as an instrument to bless great multitudes.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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JOHN 6:5-13
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"
He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, "It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,
"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."
So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
5. MIRIAM , THE SISTER OF MOSES
Miriam , the sister of Moses , was an exemplary child. The Pharaoh had given orders for all Hebrew male children to be killed . But the parents of Moses were unwilling to kill him and so left him in the basket by the river. As a child , Miriam was given the responsibility of watching over her baby brother Moses . She fulfilled her responsibility with devotion and wisdom. When the King’s daughter came by and saw the baby and took it, Miriam ran over to her and with great wisdom offered to find a Hebrew woman to raise her child . The King’s daughter agreed and Miriam brought her own mother to raise the baby. Thus , Miriam played a crucial role in saving the life of Moses , who went on to become a great leader and deliverer of the people of Israel. We must also raise our children to grow up with a sense of responsibility and purpose even at a young age. We should not allow them to become careless and irresponsible . Then the Lord would use them to fulfill important tasks and assigments in His Kingdom.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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EXODUS 2:1-10
Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman,
and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it.
She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.
Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"
"Yes, go," she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother.
Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."
6. JOHN THE BAPTIST
John the Baptist was an exemplary child . The Lord filled him with the Holy Spirit even when he was in his mother’s womb. The hand of the Lord was with him even in his childhood. He grew up and became strong in spirit. He went on to become the forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must also seek the Lord to fill our children with the Holy Spirit even in their childhood . we must lead our children to become strong in spirit . We should not be concerned only with their physical growth and neglect their spiritual well being.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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LUKE 1: 15 , 41 ,66 , 80
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord’s hand was with him.
And the child grew and became strong in spirit ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
7. JEREMIAH THE PROPHET
Jeremiah was an exemplary child . The Lord knew him even before he was formed in his mother’s womb and set him apart and appointed him as a prophet even before he was born. The Lord chose to use Jeremiah as His prophet even when he was young and put His words in the mouth of Jeremiah. The Lord is willing to use even children as His prophets . He is willing to put His words in their mouth and use the children to convey His messages. We must raise our children in such a way that the Lord can use them as His messengers and prophets. The Lord has promised to pour out His Spirit in the last days and raise up our sons and daughters to become His prophets. We must beleive His promises and claim them for our children.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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JEREMIAH 1:4-10
The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
"Alas, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young."
But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, ’I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."
JOEL 2:28-29
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
ACTS 2:17-18
"’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
