Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
ONLY TWELVE YEARS OLD
Do you remember the account of Jesus when he was only twelve years old? The family came to the Feast of Passover at Jerusalem. On the way home, along with all the other hundreds of families returning from Jerusalem, his parents noticed Jesus’ was missing. They immediately returned to Jerusalem but it was three days before they found Him.
Where was he? In the temple, sitting among the teachers and doctors, asking and answering questions about his Father. What did Jesus answer to his frantic parents? “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49).
What vision do you have for your children at this age--twelve years and moving into early teens? It saddens me that when they get to this age many children become less interested in the things of God. This breaks my heart. Statistics reveal that children who grow up in Sunday Schools rather than being in the main service with their parents are usually not interested in church by the time they are twelve years of age. They are influenced and conditioned by their peers to worldly things rather than pursuing after God.
Some translations of the Bible say that Jesus replied, “I must be in my Father’s house?” The Greek allows for either translation as it is only a definite article, not a specific word. I love the words “be about my Father’s business,” or “my Father’s affairs.” Even at this young age He wanted nothing else than God’s will. This was His consuming passion for life.
I also love the words, “My Father’s courts” or “my Father’s house.” He loved to be in the house of God. He loved to talk with and learn from older men of the deep things of the Word of God. This was his home. Do your children love to come to church, love to pray, and love to listen to adults sharing the deep truths of God?
What is the spiritual temperature of your twelve year olds and teens? Let’s pray intently for our children that they will become more passionate for God with every passing year, rather than less and less.
Bless you today,
Nancy Campbell
