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Apr 24, 2022

Love Works

Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

Preacher: John Repsold

Series: 1 Thessalonians

Keywords: love, god, people, labor, value of work

Summary:

What is the dominant principle/practice of the Christian life...and how does God want us to work that out? This message deals with love as God's dominant principle for all of us and WORK as the means God has for most of us to be able to live that out towards both Him and people.

Detail:

Love Works

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

April 24, 2022

 

Take out pen and paper and write down your answer to this question: 

Q 1:  If you had to boil down everything you know about living life in Jesus Christ into 1 word that expresses what the Christian life is about, what would it be?

Q2:  If you had to choose a 1-word expression/practice of the word you chose, what would it be? 

ILL:  If you said (and hopefully you didn’t) that “RULES” is the one word that encapsulates everything you know about life in Christ, what might be one word you would use to express your practice of rules?  (Discipline, obedience, rigidity, control, ???)

            Let’s go back to Q1.  What are the primary contenders for one word that summarizes our life in Jesus? (Love, faith, trust, ???)

Today’s passage of Scripture from 1 Thess. 4: 9-12 is going to answer both of these questions, at least when it comes to life together in God’s family.  It’s going to tell us what the Christian life boils down to and one primary way that is to be experienced.    

9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

The first thing that Paul makes really clear about how life together is supposed to play out is this:

The DOMINANT PRINCIPLE of life in Christ together is…LOVE.

The term for “love” used here has been translated well “brother love.”  In Greek it is philadelphia from which the Pennsylvanian city of Philadelphia is taken—"city of brotherly love.”  (If that’s “love”, I don’t think I want it.  There have been 627 shooting victims so far in 2022 (<4 months), 147 of them fatal!)  But even a cursory look at scripture will show you that love is the dominant principle of life in Jesus Christ. 

  • The word “love” occurs in every N.T. book but Acts.
  • In the ESV it occurs 235 times in the T. and a total of 684 times in the entire Bible.
  • The love of God is what makes the God of the Bible so very different from all other gods of every other religion.
  • Jesus summed up the law with the two great commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…and love your neighbor as yourself.  Since the Law is merely the expression of God’s nature into human experience, if we mean to live the life of Jesus through us in this life, love must be the driving principle of life in whatever we do.
  • In Romans 13, Paul echoes that truth when he says, “8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”  Different laws of God emphasize different aspects of His nature.  For example, “You shall not steal,” reflects what about God’s nature?  (That He gives rather than takes; that He respects the right of free beings to create and make and own; that He knows life is not about what we own but who we are with what we have, etc.)  But behind every one of the laws about either our relationship with Him or with people is God’s nature of love. 

Definition of LOVE?  Several different words are used for love in the O. & N.T.  We’re stuck with just one in English.

  • Hesed– lovingkindness. This is arguably the most significant word for love in the Bible. No Hebrew, Greek or English word has a 1:1 equivalence. Fidelity, loyalty, patience, mercy, grace, forgiveness, covenantal faithfulness, and salvation (among others) are all concepts tied up with God’s lovingkindness. 
  • Phileo– fraternal or friendly love. The love that you would show a brother or a friend who is closer than a brother.
  • Agape– self-sacrificial, God-like love.
  • Storge– familial love.  Cherishing one’s family.  Not found in the N.T. except in the negative—“not-storge/loving”.  Ex:  Romans 1:31—“heartless” = a  2 Tim. 3:3—A disobedient generation is described as “heartless” (astorgos).

Romans 12:10—Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (ESV)

Basic components of love would then include a few things:

  • Love needs an object. It can be ourselves but since our fallen selfishness naturally puts our love of self above love of God and others, all of God’s calls to love seek to move us out of selfishness and into a more well-rounded love. 
  • Love involves mind, emotions and will. It is not just feelings as Hollywood would have us think. But it is not “feeling-less” either.
  • Love requires choosing what is in the best interests of others and will cost the lover some or all of their life.

DEF:  Love is the use of our whole person to do what is in the best interests of others.    

1 John 3:16--By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Now let’s ask, “If the DOMINANT PRINCIPLE of the CHR. LIFE is LOVE, what is the DOMINANT OBJECT of Chr. LOVE? 

  • The first 4 of the 10 Commandments deals with loving God
  • The last 6 deal with loving people
  • Since John tells us that we can’t possibly know the love of God if we are not loving our neighbor/one another, the OBJECT of Christian love must be BOTH God and people. We cannot have one without the other to any significant degree.  (1 Jn. 4:20—"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

But back to 1 Thess. 4.  This passage teaches us that the dominant PRINCIPLE of the Chr. life is LOVE.  It also teaches that the dominant OBJECT of that love is GOD & PEOPLE, particularly the people of God…believers…the church. 

            Back in 1 Thess. 4, Paul tells us that this is one of the primary works of the Holy Spirit in our lives—teaching us to love each other. Vs. 9—“for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another….”   The Holy Spirit is always tugging on our hearts, whispering to us about loving each other, calling us to do so “more and more”, as Paul says in vs. 10. 

            In fact, the Thessalonian church didn’t limit their love to each other.  Their love flowed to the people of God in a whole region, the province of Macedonia.  Thessalonica was the capital city of this Roman province.  Apparently the church took on that sense of responsibility for the surrounding province (which would have included Philippi as well). 

            In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul must certainly be talking about this church in Thessalonica when he talks about “the churches of Macedonia.”  Since Thessalonica set the pace, when the church as far away as Jerusalem was in need of help, Paul pointed to these churches as a model of giving in the midst of poverty:

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

ILL:  What Mosaic is doing both on a daily basis for some of the most needy in our own city and on a monthly/annual basis of supporting the poorest in the world (Mozambique, PNG, Ukraine) is proof of the love of God at work in us.  We’ve got a reputation.  And it’s a GOOD one…for giving.  Giving generously, sacrificially and from our hearts with love is following in the footsteps of this church in Thessalonica. 

CHALLENGE:  Let me throw out another possibility.  I’m aware of one of the important churches in Deer Park, Tri-County Chr. Center, that is facing possible closure due to financial challenges.  Tim & Cindy White, pastors there, have faithfully served there for years.  That’s a growing community that needs more churches, not fewer.  Let’s PRAY for them…and consider giving to them. 
ILL:  One of our business owners and founders of Mosaic who has since passed away, when they were having problems with their business, asked God what to do.  On two occasions I’m aware of, they sensed God telling them to increase their giving.  So, they did, doubling it, if I’m not mistaken. And God took care of their business.

OUR REALITY:  Mosaic is currently significantly behind in our income YTD 2022 (about 27% or $36,000).  We’re not really sure why that is but it’s a good reason to seek the Lord and step out in faith.  What if we decided to “give out of our need/poverty”?  Isn’t that what the kind of love that we’ve been talking about does?   

REVIEW: 

  • The DOMINANT PRINCIPLE of life in Christ together is…LOVE.
  • The DOMINANT OBJECT of LOVE is GOD and PEOPLE, especially THE CHURCH (which is ‘the body of Christ’).

So, what is to be THE DOMINANT PRACTICE/DISCIPLINE of LOVE among God’s people?  Here’s what Paul identifies in vs. 11--11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you….

            It’s WORK!  We’re going to see the list of reasons Paul gives for why WORK is to be a dominant practice of love for God’s people.   But first, let me talk just a little bit about WORK as a topic or subject in God’s word.

            WORK is a massive topic in the Bible.  Like other important themes, it spans from Genesis to Revelation and is one of God’s primary calls to us as human beings.  I’ll show you 6 reasons from 1 Thess. 4 WHY work is so important.  But for now, let me just show you how central work is to God’s plan for almost all of us. 

            First, don’t dumb down ‘work’ to simply vocational work.  While working a job for which we may get paid or that provides us with income is a big part of God’s plan for work in our lives, it is not by any means, God’s complete plan for us when it comes to ‘work.’  When God calls us to “abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8), that includes everything from the ‘work of God’ to believe in Jesus (Jn. 6:28-29) to the “work of the ministry” every one of us has been gifted by God to be engaged in with the church. 

The term “work” is used 635 times in the O. and N.T. (in the ESV translation). 

  • It covers everything from God working to create, sustain and bless this universe to “faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6) in our lives.
  • 1 Cor. 3:13 talks about how the final judgment will reveal the kind of ‘work’ each person every to live has done on this earth.
  • The Bible talks about the work of a career (tentmaking for Paul, Ac. 18:3; hard work of a farmer in 2 Tim. 2:6) and the ‘work’ of missions and evangelism (Ac. 13:2; 2 Tim. 4:5).
  • The alternative to a life of work is a life empty of ‘fruitfulness’ (Titus 3:14).
  • ‘Work’ is addressed 12 times in Jesus’ calls to the 7 churches of Revelation (Rev. 2-3)

Both books to the Thessalonians address the issue of ‘work’ multiple times:

  • 1 Thess 1:3—work of faith and labor of love.
  • 1 Thess. 2:9—Paul talked about how they labored/worked both the day and night shifts to earn a living while they preached the Gospel in Thessalonica so that they wouldn’t be a burden to anyone.
  • In 1 Thess. 5:12 & 13, Paul is going to call the church “to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. 
  • 2 Thess. 3:10—no work, no eat
  • 3:11—chastises those who “walk in idleness,” being busybodies rather than busy at work.
  • 3:12—are commanded to “do their work quietly and earn their own living.”

Work of every sort is not something to be avoided; it is a gift from God.

Work whether in the home of out in the field is honorable & good.

Work is seen as a blessing, not a curse or the result of the curse.  (Toil in work is part of the curse.)

Work is presented as the means to meaningful blessings in life. 

Work is something both men and women are called to do biblically.

“But WHY,” you might ask.  “What are the REASONS for why work at every level of life is a good thing?” Let’s see the 6 reasons Paul gives in this passage for WHY WORK MATTERS.

  1. Work facilitates a more peaceful, ordered, quiet life.

11  “…aspire to live quietly….”

Some of you are thinking, “Wow, that hasn’t been my experience!  Whenever I have to hustle off to work, life seems anything but quiet or peaceful.  It seems hectic.  Vacation is peaceful, not work!” 

            While work itself certainly does tax us in terms of pace of life, not being able to sleep in, compressing more duties into less time, etc., think about what happens over the long haul when we don’t work.  It may feel more quite initially.  But eventually this “not working” catches up to our peacefulness. 

  • Is it more peaceful to live in a house/apartment because you have income than live in your car or on the street because you don’t have income?
  • Is life more ordered when you have to get up at a certain time, get dressed rather than stay in your pajamas and go to work/clock in for a certain period of time?
  • Does having less time to do fewer things make us more disciplined, more productive and better managers of our time and lives than when we’re working?
  • Does having to focus on work and the requirements of work cause our minds to be more or less caught up with small problems or even larger life issues? (Less…leading to less obsessive, anxious thoughts.)  This is why some of the least peaceful people I know are not working; they’re fixating on issues they wouldn’t have time to even think about if they were working. 
  1. Work provides for our personal needs…and brings with that a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and fulfillment.

Vs. 11—“… and to mind your own affairs….”.  Literally, “attending to yourself.”  Work is one of God’s primary ways for self-care.  People who do not God to work day after day tend not to care for themselves nearly as much as people who do.  They tend to lose mental sharpness, let their bodies run down, get sloppy about their personal appearance, eat more poorly and generally feel less happy with themselves. 

NOTE:  I’m not talking about just working for pay.  Keep the biblical idea of work in mind.  This can include regular, even taxing ministry to others.  It can include volunteering on a regular basis to love others in some way.  It can include living ‘in retirement’ while working as hard as ever to bring blessing to others and yourself. 

            Work that actually demonstrates love for others has so many positive benefits for everyone, but particularly the person working. 

  • Keeps your mind sharper: without work, many of us aren’t forced to learn new things, read new books, attend new seminars, get new training, etc.  Working at problem solving, whether it’s a relationship or a project, helps our mental state.  Idleness causes our mental state to decline in multiple ways.
  • Gives us more resources to care for ourselves. That might be as simple as buying healthier food or as enjoyable as taking a really nice vacation.  It might mean we get to know people we wouldn’t have who help us solve our own problems or provide good counsel and wisdom for us. 
  • Doing something challenging even labor-intensive that adds value to a company or classroom, a product or a community, causes us to feel better about ourselves. Human nature is such that we like to know our lives matter.  WE want to see that effort expended produced something good.  ILL:  Helping an elderly or frail person across the street makes even crossing the street more satisfying, doesn’t it?   Picking up trash on the street rather than stepping on it makes us feel like we are making some sort of positive difference for our community. 
  1. Work keeps us active and healthier.

Vs. 16—“… work with your hands….” 

I don’t want to stretch this command too far.  Clearly Paul is exhorting those who were choosing to check out of gainful work and employment and rather be idle, depending on others to take up the slack of providing for them.  But there is another component that medical studies have just recently revealed. With more and more of our jobs today having many of us, self included, sitting for long periods of time at “desk jobs”, we’re finding out that there is a real cost to simply not being as active as physically demanding jobs make us. 

Fact:  An analysis of 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to the risks of dying posed by obesity and smoking. However, this analysis of data from more than 1 million people found that 60 to 75 minutes of moderately intense physical activity a day countered those effects of too much sitting. [Found at https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005#:~:text=Research%20has%20linked%20sitting%20for, that%20make%20up%20metabolic%20syndrome.]

Work that involves physical exercise, we now know, is actually necessary for good short and long-term health. 

Listen to the short-term effects of an inactive lifestyle include…

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Weight Gain
  • Weakened immune system
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Poor blood circulation
  • A decrease in skeletal muscle mass
  • High cholesterol levels

Long-term effects of a less-active lifestyle can lead, as we’ve mentioned to…

  • Coronary Heart Disease
  • Stroke
  • Type-2 Diabetes
  • Certain cancers which can lead to death

Fact is, work could save…and extend…your life!

  1. Working is obedience to God.

Vs. 11—“…to work with your hands, as we instructed you….”

Work of various kinds is a command of God…repeatedly in the Scriptures.

  • 2 Thessalonians 3:10—For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
  • Even the wealthy are to be busy loving others through a richness of good works. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says, 17 “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

WHY would God make work a command?  Let me give you two reasons not in this passage that will lead us to the next reason that is in this text.

First, when we work, we are becoming more Christ-like. 

  • John 4:34—Jesus said that his “food” was to “do the will of Him who sent” Jesus into the world, i.e. the Father…”and to accomplish His work.”
  • John 5:17—the Father and Son are always working.
  • Of the 7 days of creation, God chose to work 6 of them.

If we want to grow in the life and grace of Jesus, if we are physically able, we must engage in some sort of meaningful work.  It’s not even an issue of whether or not you get paid for it.  Create your own ‘job’ that makes your apartment building or neighborhood or city or local non-profit a better place.  Volunteer to work.  We will become more like Jesus who is always working when we do.

Second, when we work diligently, we lay up spiritual wealth for eternity.  There is a direct connection between working hard to love and bless others…expending ourselves for the betterment of others…and eternal rewards. 

1 Corinthians 3:11-15-- 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Ephesians 2:10—For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

            I’ve noticed that those who know how and have developed the discipline of working a job have no trouble transferring that discipline over to working a “kingdom job.”  It doesn’t always happen.  Sometimes people sort of check-out of kingdom work when they decide to ‘retire’ from their career life.  That’s a shame.  The modern notion of ‘retirement’ should simply be viewed as a different chapter of work, in my opinion.  You’re now free to engage in the kind of kingdom enterprises that any pastor gets to do most of his life. 

            Which leads to the fifth reason Paul gives us in this passage for working diligently throughout life:

  1. Work is a great witness to unbelievers.

Vs. 12--“…so that you may walk properly before outsiders….”

Brothers and sisters, WHEN you are hired by someone to do a job, make it your goal to be THE best and hardest worker in that company.  I can’t tell you the number of businessmen and women I’ve had tell me that self-proclaimed “Christians” have either been some of the worst workers they have hired or have inflicted the worst of experiences in business on them claiming to be “Christian business people.” 

HOW we work says volumes about the Lord we serve. If we are truly serving Christ, we will be the hardest, most honest, helpful and encouraging workers in the company or on the job site.  But if we’re still serving ourselves and just mouthing our allegiance to Jesus, people will see right through it for the selfishness it is. 

1 Corinthians 10—In the context of talking about not offending others because of the foods we eat, Paul gave a command to the Corinthian church that applies to our work lives as well.   31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”  How we work…or don’t work…may have eternal implications for the salvation of those watching us. 

Finally, Paul’s last reason for why we should be working people is this:

  1. Work leads to greater INDEPENDENCE.

Vs. 12—“… so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”  Independence when it comes to finances and self-sustaining work is, in God’s eyes, a very good thing. 

            I’ve watched a major shift happen in our country during my short lifetime.  When I was a child and young person growing up in this town back in the 60s, there was a prevailing attitude in the culture that it was not a good thing to be on any type of government assistance unless you were totally disabled and unable to do any kind of productive work or volunteering.  The only people I knew who didn’t have jobs were either, as we called them, “the bums on Skid row” or those who were so physically handicapped that they couldn’t do either a desk job or a manual labor job. 

That attitude has shifted dramatically. Today our streets are filled with people who are drawing government checks with no work in return.  Many of those folks, for whatever reasons, are choosing to spend those dollars for drugs or alcohol, making, in my opinion, our government the biggest enabler of drug addiction in the country.  Work has lost its dignity…and so have millions of Americans who are daily choosing not to work. 

The labor force participation rate for America’s core workforce of individuals ages 25 through 54 has declined 2.2 percentage points in just the last 3 years (since 2000). That translates into 2.7 million fewer workers, and 1 million of that loss occurred just over the past two years, during the pandemic.

            Folks, love works.  Work is one of the primary demonstrations of loving God and people.  God’s people must recover God’s heart for WORK.  We serve a God who is always working.  We are called to ‘work’ 6 days a week and rest one in seven.  That doesn’t mean we have to work a paying job 6 days a week.  But it does mean that, if we are going to love one another, we must embrace the divine truth that LOVE WORKS!  Love is not idle.  It does not sponge off of others.  It works hard in hundreds of ways to sacrifice itself body, soul and spirit for the benefit of others. 

CHILD DEDICATION

  • Benjamin Michael McKinnon (Eli & Michaela)
  • Silas Steven Brumley (Josh and Skyla)
  • Emrik Vilhelm Dusty Ottosson (Alfred & Jewel)
  • James Boaz Repsold (Andrew & Katie)
  • Elisabeth Joy Repsold (Daniel & Stacie)
  • Laney Hope Repsold

 

It’s such a joy to see so many precious children who have been placed by God into the care of such committed, devout, passionate God-following parents.  Would that every child in our city had been born or adopted into families like these! You as parents & grandparents are privileged to have these children…and they are privileged to have you as parents. 

            Before we dedicate your children to the Lord through prayer, I want to challenge you as parents to dedicate yourselves to the continued passionate pursuit of God.  While there is no guarantee that our children will follow in our spiritual footsteps, by far the greatest long-term influence on these children for much if not most of their lives will be you, the parents.  

            This is why, when God is getting Israel ready to move into the Promised Land, He gives them some critical instructions about their own souls and their children.  He starts by talking to all the adults, particularly parent.

Deuteronomy 6-- You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 

THE most important thing any one of us in this room can do to be a blessing to these children is to LOVE GOD with everything we have.  Nothing will impact them as much as seeing God-passionate parents and other adults during their growing up years. So, parents,

  • will you seek to love God with everything you are and have every day of life God will give you with these children?
  • Will you, busy as life is and will become, seek to love God above everything else that will come into your lives, even above these precious children?
  • And will you live every day to let your children see that God is THE love of your souls?

Church, will we seek to model the passionate priority of Jesus Christ to these children too whenever God may grant us the opportunity?

            Now God turns to His WORD when He tells all the adults in Israel, 6 “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”  This is the priority of God’s word, not just in your schedule or reading or study…but in your heart.  If you love God’s word, your children will know it.  They will see you reading it at the table or when they get up in the morning or go to bed at night.  They will see you loving it as you join Bible studies and make sitting under the teaching of God’s word a weekly priority.  They will hear you memorizing it and discussing it with each other.  And they will know if it is your delight or just another duty. 

            So, parents, will you dedicate yourselves to love the Word of God daily in your family? 

            Now God turns to the imparting of God’s commands and words to these children when He says,

 7 You shall teach them [commands] diligently to your children….

Making sure your children know God’s word is your primary responsibility before God.  Putting food on the table is important, but these children will not live by food alone but by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Helping them learn the arts and sciences, hobbies and skills, important as they are, are not THE most important teaching you must do.  God’s Word is. 

            So, parents, will you dedicate yourselves to the teaching of God’s word to your children above any other subjects or skills you may desire they learn? 

You… shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 

Here God recognizes that what we repeatedly do together reveals what we truly value.  God wants these children to see in living color how the word of God can impact every nook and cranny of life.  He wants our car-time and our table-time to be about the Word.  He wants our evenings and getting ready for bed routines along with our waking up and morning times together to be filled with discussions about God’s word.  He wants our movie-watching, our reading, our game-playing to be filled with discussion about how they relate to His word. 

 

8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

God wants His word to be visible everywhere we turn and wherever we are.  Not just in plaques or note cards or decorations.  I think God wants his word to always be visible to these children through how you will live it out before them. 

            You won’t do that perfectly.  But I want to ask you today, parents, will you dedicate yourselves to live out visibly and transparently before your children the truths and commands of God’s word? 

Your dedication to the Word of God, especially over the next 10-20 years of your children’s lives, is THE most important dedication you can make.  Every part of your and their lives will be shaped and molded by that dedication. 

 

Now, as we prepare to dedicate these precious lives to God and the purposes He has for them, would you please place your hands on your children and repeat after me?

Dear God,

Thank you for the gift of these children.

We dedicate them to You in Jesus name.

We dedicate ourselves to teaching…and modeling… your Word to them.

Guard and guide them…by your Word and your Spirit. 

And lead them into the love of Jesus Christ…

In whose name we pray,

Amen