A Heritage from the Lord

Reflect and pray

The psalmist does not call children a project, a problem, or a future investment. He calls them a heritage and a reward. That language is important. A heritage is something you receive, not something you manufacture. A reward is a gift, not a wage. When the church begins to see children through this lens, everything changes. They are no longer nuisances to be managed during the worship service. They are brothers and sisters to be nurtured in the faith right now.

The sermon asked a hard question: does the church value children for who they are today, or only for what they might become decades from now? It is tempting to treat the nursery as a holding cell and the youth group as a recruitment pipeline. But Jesus laid His hands on children and blessed them in the present tense. He stopped His journey for them. He received them as full participants in the kingdom, not as junior members waiting for a promotion.

This means that every one of us has a stake in the spiritual health of the children around us. Whether you are a parent, a grandparent, a Sunday school teacher, or simply a church member who knows a child's name, you are part of a covenant community that says, 'You belong here.' It means we protect them with sound doctrine and safe spaces. It means we sacrifice our comfort so that they can hear the gospel clearly. It means we look them in the eye and tell them that Jesus loves them—not as a cliché, but as a conviction.

You were once a child who needed someone to bring you to Jesus. Someone prayed for you. Someone sacrificed for you. Someone believed that the gospel was worth passing on. Do the same for the next generation. They are not the church of tomorrow. They are the church of today, a heritage from the Lord, and a reminder that we are all frail children of dust who must trust our Heavenly Father.