Been there, done that!

In my 18 plus years as Children's Pastor one of the comments that made me very sad was a comment made to my request to help out with the ministry to children. The comment was, "Been there, done that!" With this comment the person was saying that they had worked with children in the past, and that they were done with it. They were passing on the task of working with children to the younger generation.

This comment made me sad because it seemed to miss out on the heart of God for children. As I read the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament I see over and over how God is interested in the children; how He wants them to receive the Word of truth.

No passage is clearer about this than the one we read in Deuteronomy 6. Now on the plains of Moab, Moses gathers the people and gives them instruction. The previous generation had failed, so Moses was instructing the people so that they would not fail again. And as you read the instruction you can't help but see how concerned he is for the children.

In verse 2 Moses writes, "...that you may fear the Lord your God , you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long."

Again in verse 4-7, after giving the "Great Commandment" to love the Lord their God with their all, Moses goes on to say, "You shall teach them (the commandments) diligently to your children, and 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."

Still later in verse 20 Moses anticipates a conversation with the children. He says, "When your son asks you in time to come, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God has commanded you?' Then you say say to your son, 'We were Pharoah's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.'" Over and over again the Lord shows His concern for children. They are indeed near and dear to His heart.

Even in Psalm 89 the opening words hit the same theme. The psalmist declared, "I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make know your faithfulness to all generations." And why was the psalmist so eager to share with other generations? Because he had found a God who was like none other. In verse 6 he states, "For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?"

This is the same God we saw in Revelation 4 who is so awesome that the living creatures continuously declare, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come." And if that were not enough, the 24 elders chime in as well saying, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

In light of such a God, is it possible to say, "Been there, done that"? Would it not be our delight to share the glories of this God not only with children but with all those with whom we have contact? Thus, you can understand my sadness. When I look at the treasure we have in Christ, and then look at the treasure we have in the "little ones" I can't help but want to see those two treasures united. To give children an understanding of the marvels of our God, and to know that such knowledge can transform their lives for good, leads me to always have a heart for children. I can never say, "Been there, done that" until the Lord takes me home. In fact, my responsibility to pass on the gospel never ends until the Lord takes me home.

May the Lord refresh our vision of His greatness, so that with eagerness we want to share His glories with every generation as the Lord gives us strength.