Scripture:
Proverbs 22:6. “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Colossians 1:10 “…so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”
Reflection:
I love youth pastors…really! I also love children’s workers, youth volunteers and every godly parent. Yet before I share why, let me share a story and then a statement.
Years ago, there was a famine in China. During this famine the emperor would give each peasant a portion of rice to prevent mass starvation and help the people.
One day, a peasant asked the emperor a seemingly modest request: rather than giving him his daily provision, would the emperor give him only one grain of rice today, but double his portion each successive days for as many squares there are on a chessboard. The emperor amused with this suggestion, agreed to this request and ordered his men to do as the peasant requested. The first day the peasant got his one grain of rice as the emperor and guards laughed at the foolish peasant as he left.
If you haven’t heard this story before, it might seem like the peasant made a mistake and would starve by the end of the first week. It is true, that the first week was difficult. But as the second week stated, the emperor and guards began to realize that the peasant’s request was ingenious and would soon be impossible for the emperor to fulfill. By doubling one grain of rice 63 times (the number of squares on a chessboard, minus the first one that only held one grain) it would mean the emperor had to give the peasant over 18 million, trillion grains of rice. To grow just half of that amount, the emperor would need to convert every bit of land to rice fields, and even then, he would never come close to fulfilling his promise to the peasant.
Exponential functions in mathematics produce numbers that are impossible to fathom. It is something the peasant understood and the emperor disregarded. The statement that mirrors this story is often called Gates law. It was attributed to Bill Gates, but it has been around for quite a while before he popularized it. Gate’s law states, “Most people overestimate what they can achieve in one year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten.”
So let me now get back to my original state about why I love I love youth and children’s workers, youth pastors and every godly parent. The growth for every seed of truth and righteousness planted in the hearts of our children and grandchildren is akin to the forest inside every pinecone or orchard inside every apple. The seeds of God’s word planted in the heart of our children are truly exponential, producing Godly lives that can effect families, communities and nations for generations.
Every youth meeting or children’s service where God’s word is shared and lived out can change the world. Every time a parent spends time sharing the word of God with their child, they are planting seeds with the potential of exponential growth. Isaiah 55:11 “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
While what is shared with our children may not seem much at first, only God knows how it will grow as the years pass. That is why I love supporting our youth pastors and children’s ministries. That is why at mBridge we love ministries like Marked and Solid Rock, MissionGreen and Heed Uganda. Each in their own way are planting seeds that will change lives and someones eternity!
David
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