Pastor’s Pen 5/12/2019

Pastor’s Pen 5/12/2019

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her

Proverbs 31:28

Welcome to Grace Harvest on this Mother’s Day. As we celibrate Mother’s Day we will be dedicating 13 children this morning. During the dedication, parents will actually be dedicating their families unto the Lord. God has ordained marriage between a man and a women. In Genesis 1:28 He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. The first command of God, to man, was to have children. But it doesn’t stop there, parents have the responsibility of raising up their children with fear and admonition of the Lord (Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:7).  Today nine families will publicly commit to raising their children in a godly home and teaching them to love the Lord our God. Thank you for being witnesses to this wonderful and blessed occasion.

The vows that the parents will be taking are:

Do you today recognize these children as the gifts of God and give heartfelt thanks for God’s blessing?

Do you now dedicate your children to the Lord who gave them to you all, surrendering all worldly claims upon their lives in the hope that they will belong wholly to God?

Do you pledge as parents that, with God’s fatherly help, you will bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, making every reasonable effort, with patience and love, to build the Word of God, the character of Christ and the joy of the Lord into their lives?

Do you promise to provide, through God’s blessing, for the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of your children, looking to your own heavenly Father for the wisdom, love and strength to serve them and not use them?

Do you promise, God helping you, to make it your regular prayer that, by God’s grace, your children will come to trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and for the fulfillment of all his promises to them, even eternal life; and in this faith follow Jesus as Lord and obey his teachings?

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark

 

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