Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

All my life, I’ve had people who have taken their time and invested in me. Some that I didn’t even know about until later on. There’s this one family that I love with all my heart, and it wasn’t until I was around sixteen that I found out just how much they helped my family and I. For years, they provided me with a way to camp and Holiday Youth Convention, sent me presents at Christmas and helped support me in times when I really needed it, emotionally and physically, and went out of their way at meetings to talk to me and tell me how special I was. Have you ever had someone invest in you? Putting their time and heart into you? Let’s take a look at another person who was invested in from a young age.

Exodus 1:15-22, 2:1-10 – “And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.” – “ And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.”

There was a time in Egypt when the Pharaoh ordered every baby boy to be killed at birth. A woman named Jochabed and her midwife took it upon themselves to save her baby boy alive when they saw that he was healthy. Jochabed kept him hidden for three months, and then took a basket made of reed and black tar and set him in the River. I can’t imagine how scary that must have been for her. The basket that held the baby floated down the river and was spotted by Pharaoh’s daughter, who sent one of her servants to bring the basket to her. How surprised must she have been when she opened the basket to find a Hebrew baby, crying? Jochabed’s daughter had followed her brother down the river and offered to get one of the hebrew woman to nurse the baby. Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, so his sister brought Jochabed to her and the baby, HER baby, was given back to her to nurse and raise until he was old enough for Pharaoh’s daughter to adopt. Jochabed was given the chance to train Moses up and to teach him about his God. For a moment, let’s look back at our story. Pharaoh’s daughter represents things that our kids go through. Some are in worldly homes, surrounded by profanity and many other things. They may have unGodly friends that can put things into their minds. And most schools don’t teach about creation, but teach about evolution and the kids that go to the schools bring things from their homes that can harm our children, both psychically and spiritually, like drugs, cursing, and sex. Jochabed is us. Parents and teachers, as well as the members of the church. She had the chance to raise a child, to invest in him. And look what he did through that. Moses went on to free the Hebrew children from Egypt! He led them through the desert and provided for them by asking God to give them Mana and pheasants and sweet water. And finally, he helped them reach the promised land. I want you to think about these three goals for our kids. One, like Moses freed God’s people from Egypt, we want our kids to be delivered, to be saved. Two, Like he gave them water and food and led them through the desert, we want to provide for them. And three, like he brought them to the Promised Land, we want them, more than anything, to make it to Heaven. I’m going to show you some ways to invest in our kids like Jochabed invested in Moses… Deuteronomy 6:7 says, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Children are already doing most of their growing and learning right at home! Ways you can make God an even bigger part of their daily lives are by reading the bible with them, praying with them, and teaching them bible stories! So many of our kids are being taught at home, and love to be a part of the church services! One kid in particular, because of the influence of his parents at home, teaching him about God and showing him what to do, loves to sit in the front at church, lift his hands in worship, and pray at the altar. When the kids come on Wednesdays to Kidz Jam, they’re excited and ready to help decode the next clue and to make crafts and be with their friends! But they’re even more excited for the songs and lessons. Kids Ministry is a major part of helping them grow spiritually. Yes, they may forget everything that was packed into the lesson, like how the Truth Trackers found this or when one of them stole the other’s sandwich. But they won’t forget the part about how we shouldn’t steal. Or how God is waiting for us to ask him into our hearts. They won’t forget how they got the chance to worship with other kids their age. One of our new girls, she’s only been coming for a few weeks, but she’s already picked up on how we should feel free to Worship God. I watched with tears in my eyes on a Sunday morning as she walked up to the altar by herself and sang and clapped and praised God with all of her heart. Another one of our girls has both home life and Kidz Jam teaching her about God and she loves to come to the altar and pray with her friends and even the Kidz Jam leaders. I love to watch the videos some moms send to us of their kids doing action songs and reciting their memory verses! The things they are learning sticks with them! There are so many ways that you can invest in the kids lives… You can invest your money. By giving your offering and donating to the Kids Ministry, we’re able to give them amazing sets and skits, crafts, snacks, and lessons. You can take a child under your wing and mentor them and pray for them! You can even meet them at the altar! And you can volunteer to help with our kids program, Kidz Jam. I want to be like Jochabed. Not in the whole having to put my child in a basket and sending him down the river way, but I want to protect and teach our kids to love God. When they’re older, they may go through things. Moses killed a man and fled! But because Jochabed invested in him and taught him about the loving God, he came back to God. All in all, it’s so important to invest in our children. Through teaching your kids at home, giving money to the program, and through being a part of the program. Watching them grow and learn is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. And we’d love for you to be a part of it!