Stories of Jesus

I've been thinking and praying about Children's Ministry a lot lately.  My kids are at the age where they are beginning to learn and retain things they learn about God.  I've been wondering what is the most important element that children need?  The Lord has placed it on my heart time and time again that the biggest thing kids need to hear are the stories of Jesus.  Why is this so vital? I'll explain.

Have you ever told your kids stories about a relative, a historical figure, or a friend who has passed away?  There are people who have greatly impacted my life that my children will never meet on this earth.  Still, I want my children to know who those people are, the kinds of things they did and loved.  For example, I tell Silas and  Addie about my grandparents and the kinds of things I used to do with them, how hard they worked, and how much they loved us.  I tell the kids about great people like Martin Luther King Jr., who taught the world about equality and true, Godly love.  The bottom line is that if we want our children to know who people were, what they stood for, and the difference they made, then we must tell them stories about them.  How else will they truly know about them if we do not? Sure, they could know they have a great-grandfather named Stub, but unless I tell them about him, they will never know what he was like.

So here we relate this to our understanding of Jesus Christ.  I can tell them Jesus loves them.  I can sing Jesus loves me this I know.  But unless I tell them the stories of Jesus, they won't really know what He was like.  They will never know the things He did.

In  John 13:33-35 Jesus said,  “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”


If we do not teach children the stories of Jesus' life on earth, how will they know how He loved us?  This is so vital.  Our children need to know the stories of Jesus Christ so that when they are older they can dive deeper into God's love through these same stories.  In turn, they will learn to love others. It is the natural response when you experience God's love.  So read the stories to your kids at bedtime, or during the day, or both. Let them understand who Jesus was, so they can come to know who He IS.