1 Chr 22:11
Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee. (KJV)
Your child does not belong to you, and you must prepare your child to pick up the burden of his life long before the moment when you must lay your burden down." -James Baldwin
I Greet each of you in God's love today. I wish to honor all of the children, parents, and youth leaders who have worked so hard with our children to bring forth this joyfully expressive "Youth Day" celebration. I believe strongly that every child that is born deserves the utmost dignity and respect that we can offer to them. The children are our inheritance from the Lord we must share with them our love, our faith, and our hope of a better tomorrow. Our children grant us a sense of immortality in that they will be here long after we have moved off of the scene. What they are able to do for their society and what difference that they are able to make in their world is dependent upon the deposits that we make in their lives. It has been said that no children have been good at listening to their elders, but, they are extraordinarily good at imitating them. We must be very careful of what we model before our children because it may not spring forth in our lifetime, but, when we are gone they will have to live in the atmosphere that we created for them.
I am so happy to see so many of our children get involved in this special service. I want them to know that they do have a viable place within our ministry. It is also necessary to seek for other ways on a consistent basis to make it possible that our children have the opportunity to practice Christian values in an enjoyable and safe atmosphere.
We must like David look for ways to bless our children in the ways of the Lord that they might advance the kingdom of our God.
Children, I thank each of you for sharing your joy, laughter, excitement, talent, gifts, and your spirit of adventure with us today. I bless each of you today in Jesus' name. Have a blessed and enjoyable "Youth Day."
