Their growth is stunted
The beaches at Santa Rosa Beach, Florida are some of the most beautiful in the world. The Marine Science instructor had the 4-H students meet at the park entrance to begin the field trip. It was a fascinating afternoon. We splashed in the water gathering specimens and observed animal droppings and tracks that I would have never noticed without her careful promptings. She pointed to the scrubby trees along the road casually mentioned, “See how small the Live Oaks are here. They don’t get the nutrients they need to grow large.”
I thought I had misunderstood, so I questioned her. “You don’t mean the huge live oaks growing all over town?”
“I do,” she explained. “Their growth is stunted.”
Instead of developing into the giant majestic oaks they were destined to become they were only the size of a small bush or shrub.
The Queen is produced by what it is fed.
The queen bee lays all the eggs for the entire hive. That one bee is essential to the life of the hive. A hive will die without a queen bee. It is amazing to discover the queen bee begins as an ordinary egg and hatches into an ordinary larvae. The difference between a queen bee and an ordinary bee is what the bee is fed. It is fed a special food-royal jelly.
And Your Children?
What they hear, what they believe, what they are fed will shape who they become. I’ve used two examples to clearly illustrate one truth: A tree is stunted and never reaches it’s potential when malnourished and when a bee larva is nourished with royal jelly, a queen bee is produced. Your children are shaped by what they are fed through their eye gate and their ear gate and how they respond to those inputs. What they hear, see and believe is critical to their becoming the giant God called them to become. Feed them the Bible. Help them develop a real relationship with God.
They were made to know God and walk with God. But if they are not nourished by that truth they won’t walk in that reality. God has a good plan for their life. They will never fulfill that plan without the seed of God’s Word being planted and nurtured in their hearts.
The Bible is spiritual food.
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV – For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Daniel 11:32And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries, but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
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- Feed them the Bible. Help them develop a real relationship with God.
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