FOR YOUR CHILDREN

J. Grant Swank, Jr.


". . .weep for your children." Luke 23:28


When one carries the cross, others are looking on. Those closest to the cross carrier are family members. Therefore, it is the privilege before God to carry that cross nobly. Its reputation must be without blemish.


As Jesus was being hauled up Calvary's hill, there were those who cried out to Him, lamenting His plight. Jesus responded by stating: "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children."


So we still weep for our children. It is the parents' privilege to intercede on behalf of the souls brought into this spiritually fallen sphere.


As the church age climaxes and the foe become more fierce against the believing remnant, all the more the cross ambassadors must cry to heaven on behalf of their offspring. There are too many traps being set by Satan against our children. They are pulled every day in the direction of dark caves to ruin and damn.


Even when those children would mock the cross, the cross bearer continues consistently loyal to Jesus. There can be no room for compromising in order to "serve the family" ahead of God. Not husband nor wife nor children nor any other clan member can come first in our allegiances. God is God and therefore we seek "first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." All else must come after that priority.


So it is that our children will take note of where we place our priorities. Always keep the cross at the forefront of your heart, your day, your nighttime, your relationships.


To weep for our children is to yearn for their salvation. It is to carry a rightful concern that they come into the crosswalk as well. Eventually some of them will; others will not. Their free wills determine their destinies; however, the cross example set by parents will be paramount.


Carry the cross, yoked with Jesus, so that those under your roof can witness your steadiness in the climb. It is significant that they see that Christianity is real, especially since there is so much which is counterfeit on all sides.


Weep for your children, not neurotically, but prophetically. That is, the weeping before heaven's throne on behalf of others has a Spirit-inspired power behind it. There is a might in intercession which is not present in other prayers. The reason is because the one praying is not praying for self but for someone else.


Consequently, frequently bring those children's souls to God in intercession. Let the demons hear your pleas. Permit the angels the honor of approving your petitions. Let the indwelling Spirit lift from your heart your concern, placing it before your heavenly Advocate for Him to present to the Father.