School has started again. Why do we have schools? We have them to prepare children for life, so they can learn the things they need to know in order that someday they may have a good job and provide for themselves and their families. We want them to have not only the necessities of life but also some of the luxuries. But we need to remember that those are not the only things necessary. There is something else that is often overlooked.
Having a good job, a nice home, etc. does not solve all your problems. Jesus once said, “Man does not live on bread alone.” If having the “things” of life is not enough, what does man live by? Jesus says, “On every word that comes from the mouth of God.” We don’t depend primarily on food etc. for life, we depend on God.
Who gave you your life? Who supplies you with everything you need? You cannot cause seed to germinate, or create air to breathe or plants to grow. Who is going to decide what is going to happen to you when you leave this life? It is God. God is the Maker, Provider and Judge. We would not be here if he did not create. We couldn’t live if God did not provide. We would die forever if God did not save you.
That is why we have a Christian preschool. Important things are learned there, not only all the regular subjects but also the Word of God. They may not learn to make more money than others do, they may not have a better job, they may not learn how to be more popular, but they learn to know God. They learn to know his will, worship him, and depend on him and above all to obtain eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ.
As they go through life, children will be tempted not to know God or trust in him. They will be tempted to think only about “bread alone” and think that getting “things” is all that matters in this world.
It is important that they not only prepare for a successful life here on earth, but to learn to know their God and his Word on whom their very existence depends. God cannot only make them successful here on earth but can give them his peace and a life that will never end.
That is why we have a Christian preschool. As Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
(Pastor Marc Frey is the pastor at Peace of Our Savior Lutheran Church and Preschool (WELS) New Carlisle, OH www.peaceofoursavior.net)
