"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24
Credit for opening the first kindergarten in the United States goes to Susan Blow, who formed one in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1873. At that time the children of workers living in tenements usually went to school only three years – from age 7 to 10. The kindergarten enabled them not only to get an earlier start but also to associate enjoyment with learning.
Many dedicated men and women have contributed to perfecting the educational system. The education of the total person is like the construction process of an exquisite building. A good foundation has to be laid. The architect’s plans are followed as the structure takes shape. The walls go up as stone is laid on stone. The roof is put on. The proper utilities provide heat, fresh drinking water, and communication facilities. The house acquires a soul when the family moves in. It becomes a home when people live, work, rest, play, and serve one another. A home cannot be built overnight, nor is the education of a person completed in a matter of days. It takes years, even decades. Many people like Susan blow are involved in it.
It has been said: The heart of education is the education of the heart. The heart is where the person really lives, what he or she truly is. By nature the heart is the source of much evil. Jesus said that evil thoughts and desires, words and deeds, proceed from it. What is needed is a new heart, a heart not of stone but of flesh, a heart capable of faith and love. Such a heart the Holy Spirit creates in children as they are baptized and given Christian instruction. The converted heart becomes functional as it influences conscience, will, and mind. What the heart believes, that it prompts the hands to do. In the Christian’s heart dwells Jesus Christ, who in love gave Himself for the salvation of every person and who through His Word enables Christian growth to continue.
PRAYER: Thank You, Lord God, for revealing Christ to me as the basis of true wisdom. Amen.
(Devotions from "With Jesus Every Day" copyright 1997, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time emailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Kings 15-16 Galatians 3
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