Babies

I'm sitting in the coffee shop working on a project I'm putting together for the church. Across from where I am sitting, at the next table, is a young mother with a new baby.

To watch a young mom, who is fascinated by the new life she has given birth to, puts a smile on my face. She is constantly looking over at her baby as he or she sleeps in perfect peace knowing that mother has everything under control. When the baby stirred instantly the mother used this occasion to pick the child up and hold him close to give him reassuring comfort.

The mother had brought another friend with her. This girl clearly did not have any children and was excited and scared to hold this new child. When the mother offered for her friend to hold the baby instantly excitement filled her eyes. As she took the child in her arms, which took about a minute and half to make the transfer because of all the instruction and care that was happening, a huge smile came across her face. Various noises came out of her mouth trying to get the little one to smile or at least recognize he was now with her and not with mom. The baby slept on.

As I watched this event unfold before my eyes I was reminded of the church. The church is the bride of Christ and the new believer is her little baby she must and desires to care for. The new believer is so trusting that the mother will care for him. He just believes that things will be okay because mother is watching over everything.

Church, as the LORD brings us 29 new baby Christians this year it will be important that we love them as a mother loves her new born. The baby trusts that the mother knows best and she will love and develop him.

Church, it is important that we take these new ones into our arms and develop them into mature adults. Each lesson we teach them is to make us interdependant on each other. Our desire is to see them grow up in a healthy way, giving and receiving the things of God.

As a baby needs the milk of the mother to survive, it is important that we take the LORD's young believers and give them the pure milk of the word of God. As they drink it in they will develop in a way that makes the mother proud.

It is not the baby's responsibility to be the main caregiver of itself, it is the mothers. At least until that child is healthy enough to fend for himself. A good church must love the young to give them the strength they will need to do life in the real world.

1 Peter 2: 1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Church, let's get ready to develop healthy spiritual children as the LORD honours us with the birth of new believers!