My friend and I would study, study, study each week to learn the verses in the handbooks. Often we would compete with each other to see who could learn the most verses. We both won the patches, charms, and trophies.

After I grew up, I looked back on why I learned the verses; and have felt guilt for doing it for the ‘rewards.’

However, when I began teaching, the Holy Spirit brought many of those verses back to memory when they were needed. The students would say, “Hey, that’s and AWANA verse!” (The were in the club too.)

The trophies are in a box in a basement–perhaps thrown away by now. I don’t care where they are. The real trasure was the Word of God. I can still remember many of those verses–in spite of the wrong motivations.

It seems like when a verse is memorized and meditated over, it becomes part of who you are, and it changes you in good ways. Verses memorized become yours, and they cannot ever be taken away. That is a good thing.
Hope this was an encouragement to you.

Scripture teaches that a good worker is worthy of his reward. In the days of Christ, workers were paid at the end of each work day. Translating earthly reward for earthly labors into spiritual rewards for spiritual work is a logical progression and a good stepping stone for young minds to trod.

It may not seem difficult for young minds to master memory tasks; yet, when I consider the competition for their attention from the world I would much rather have their minds focused on scripture memory than the trash that blares at them from all sides… TV, radio, movies.

I agree that there is reward beyond value in the verse alone; however, let us not discount value of the labor involved or the time devoted or in the case of us, elders, the mental ability that seems to fade with age.

Bless you for your work with children. I shall never forget the verse…”Train up a child in the way he/she should go and when they are old they shall not depart from it.” There is much wisdom in this verse that seems to foretell what a great many of us experience in our adolescent thru early adult years…a wayward path.

Motivation is a very personal thing and sometimes in the beginning it takes ‘baby steps’ to move from immature to the mature motivations. Afterall, what we are really talking about is developing new habits to replace old habits and habits can be extremely stubborn when challenged by newer (hopefully better) ones. Just ask a long term tobacco user or most any American who is overweight and trying to restructure the way we eat and increase exercise.

How many of us would continue to work the jobs we do if our paychecks stopped??

huggs
frank

Rewarding kids for memorizing verses is not equivalent to pitching. It is to motivate them to work hard for something that will help them earn spiritual dividends in terms of eternal rewards. I know many consider it as bribing, but I don’t see it that way. I don’t give candy treats because of the sugar, but I do recognize their efforts by letting them be the line-leader, teacher’s helper etc. My child’s Sunday school teacher gives them special prizes and it really helps boost her enthusiasm to memorize scriptures.

Children do not have the ability to decide what is good and what is bad for them and before the world sows its wisdom, it is so important for God’s word to be planted in the fertile soil of their hearts. It is only as they grow older they will begin to know and understand the scriptures by experience and it is then that they will develop love for the Word and will embrace it as life itself. That is my personal testimony…

You are right, it is too painful to think about the way the credibility of the good news of Christ has been pitched… and it is all the more painful to see an adulterous generation that seeks after signs of healing or prosperity and willfully lusts to exchange the truth of God for a lie.

Unfortunately, to be hooked by some of those too-good-to-be-true pitches do have eternal consequences. Hence, one cannot afford to be gullible no matter how cleverly the truth is twisted and packaged to be promoted as a lie.

Peter tells us to be careful of pitchmen that make up clever lies to get hold of our money (2 Peter 2:3). However, the tragedy of human saga is: ever since day one, no one desires the truth. To Eve, God’s Law of “Eat this and don’t eat that” was hard and least appealing.

In fact, even when there was a clear forewarning… “in the day that you eat… you shall surely die” she was quick to dismiss it as merely some scare-tactic of the Law giver. Instead, she chose to believe the Lawless one because the concocted version of the truth presented by the father of lies was so pleasant and gratifying.

The Bible gives us ample warnings about pitchmen a.k.a lawless men who will deceive God’s people in the last days. While I may not be responsible for the pitches, I am responsible for whether I believe and buy into it or not. Just like Eve, I will be called to accountability for choosing to believe a lie.

By shifting the blame on the “pitchman from hell” Eve did not escape the judgment of God. Likewise it will do me no good by casting the blame on those who pitch, promote or peddle the Gospel. “Therefore, dear friends, since you are well-warned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.” (2 Peter 3:17).

rokdude5, my prayers and thoughts are with you and your loved ones as you grieve the passing away of your mother-in-law.

xrgarza:
I would like to hear more of how you define the difference in a ‘tithe’ and an ‘offering’…especially the ‘fellowship offering’ spoken of in earlier texts.

Take courage, little one, we have a mighty Shepherd who stands ready to rescue us from all predators. However, we must put aside our fears and place our trust in HIM. Keep your eyes on Jesus and Fear Not, For the Lord is with You!!

Be filled with the Spirit and speak the truth humbly of what the Lord Jesus has done for you, personally. No One can dispute your personal experience.

When fears of being mistaken for a ‘pitchman’ remember that you are ’selling nothing’ you’re giving it away.

huggs
frank