According to Jesus,
people who serve in children’s ministry will receive greater reward than those who
serve in other departments within the church. That’s right! We can expect
children’s workers to be more blessed than ushers, greeters, choir members, parking
lot attendants and the rest of the church. All those departments are important and God
will reward those who serve in them, but the fact remains that children’s workers
possess a promise from Jesus that others simply don’t have.
Jesus said it like this in Matthew 10:41, "And whoever gives
one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly I
say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." Jesus does not here tell us what
the reward is. We do know, however, from this explicit statement that if you can simply
transport the snacks from the kitchen to the kid, you have a reward that cannot be erased
or lost. Jesus puts His word on the line for children’s workers.
Jesus expounds on this in Matthew 18:5 when He says, "Whoever
receives one little child like this in My name receives Me." Here’s the secret.
For every child you receive into your children’s ministry, you receive Jesus that many
times over. If you only have five children in your Sunday school or children’s
church, you are receiving the presence of the Lord fives times over. With the presence of
the Lord multiplied you can expect great reward. Jesus never went anywhere where He
didn’t do something good. Expect good things to happen to you if you receive children
in the name of Jesus. Don’t be timid about believing what Jesus was bold enough to
say. Expect reward and expect His presence.
God told Moses that the success of the nation of Israel was
determined by their commitment to teach their children (Deuteronomy 6:1-7). Reward follows
our commitment to children’s ministry.
Children’s workers have mistakenly waited for the pastor and
congregation to express appreciation for their labor of love. Often times, pastors and
congregations don’t understand all that it takes to minister to children each week.
They don’t know the challenge. They struggle to comprehend what you do to prepare to
teach kids. Don’t let what you perceive as a lack of appreciation bother you. Jesus
can reward you better than the pastor or the congregation.
Put your faith in what Jesus said. There is a reward. And if you
receive children, you can’t even lose it.
For
information about children's ministry curriculum written by Roger Fields |
