When I was a kid, growing up in the church, we didn’t have all these audio/visual tools. We didn’t have screens in the sanctuary to follow the songs’ words or show videos and pictures. And our world has developed to become very high-tech during our lifetime.
Thinking back to the 1960s when I was in children’s church, I remember Miss Edenfield was my teacher. She would teach using these little biblical characters that she would pin to a bulletin board.
Miss Edenfield would arrange those characters on that bulletin board, and then she would start telling the story. And Jesus was in every story, and it was so great. She would say, “One day, Jesus was walking (and she would make the character walk across the board), and He saw a lamb. Little lamb, I love you. Jesus is the Great Shepherd, and He loves the little lamb.”
“One day, Jesus was walking, and He saw a woman, and she had done some things she shouldn’t have done. And she saw Jesus, and she walked over to Him. And Jesus said to her, ‘I love you! Stop doing what is wrong and start doing what is right!’ And she said, ‘Okay, Jesus. I love you. Thank you for being my friend!’” And as a 4-year-old little boy, I heard that story. It was those stories I heard from Miss Edenfield that I first began to learn about Jesus.
Perhaps you’ve heard a story like that. It may not have been on a bulletin board, but most of us, as children, listened to some stories about Jesus. And Jesus indeed loves you, and He is your friend. But I don’t remember anyone telling me that the Jesus I learned about on the bulletin board had all these commandments for my life. I learned that you get to go to heaven because of Jesus, and you can follow Jesus, and that is all true. That’s all a four-year-old can handle. And Miss Edenfield was wise enough to know that.
But you see, the Bible says there’s much, much more. And as we grow up, we begin to see that. And here’s where the challenge comes to all of us. Because as you get older, you start developing your thought process. The Bible calls us to maturity. And as you get more and more information, you learn there’s more and more responsibility, and you’re called to accomplish more through your faith.
Isn’t it so easy to return to a small child’s simple faith? Because nobody ever suffered persecution for their faith, and nobody ever had to pay the price for our sins. But as you get into the Scriptures, you begin to see that Jesus calls us to mature, grow up, learn more, hunger and thirst for righteousness, and seek His kingdom. But as we get increasingly in tune with Jesus, if you keep listening, you will keep learning and growing. You are liable to hear that; yes, Jesus does give us commands.
Someone asked Jesus, “What’s the most important command? What’s the most important thing we need to remember?” And Jesus said …
Love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. Love God with everything you’ve got” (Luke 10:27).
Love God and love all people. Here’s the bottom line. Because as soon as you take that command of love into your heart, you know that will mean some changes. You’re going to have to learn who God is. And you’re going to have to read the Bible more. And in light of this, maybe you’ll discover you’re going to have to adjust the way you think and live.
Thank you, Miss Edenfield, for teaching me about the greatest friend I’ve ever known!