Telugu Church

A child is never too young to be pointed to God as the source of all things, as One who is a great God but also a God of love.

Infants need to hear you say words like "God loves you and so do I." When walking around the room looking at pictures and objects, they need to hear you say "God made ... " puppies, pretty flowers, or whatever it is. As you hold them up to a mirror, let them hear words like, "There is .... I'm so glad God made you." You can pray words of adoration and thanksgiving to God in the hearing of the young child. You can sing words of praise to God. As you model a lifestyle of praise, they will begin the process of developing a good attitude toward God as their maker, of a good God who made all things and who cares.

As children grow into their toddler and preschool years, they can begin to participate in worship activities. Clapping, singing, and simple prayers are ways to engage them. Remind them that they are doing these activities to and for God because He is a great and good God. He is worthy of their praise. They may not fully grasp the significance but it continues to reinforce that the Lord is God and He is the source of all things.

By the time children are grade school age, they can begin to grasp the theological basis behind who this God is they worship, why they worship Him, and how He is worthy of their praise. Younger grade school children still struggle with abstract concepts but they are able to under-stand that there is Someone greater than they are who merits their praise and thanksgiving.

Begin in the nursery, and continue into adulthood, to help people "know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." Encourage them, at all ages, to "enter his gates with thanks-giving and his courts with praise." Exhort them to "give thanks to him and praise his name."