All Articles For Miersma, Jan

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. The children of God’s covenant, as we have seen, are not first of all our children, but the children of a Heavenly King, and as parents we serve as His stewards or agents. At the heart of their instruction as royal children pulses the almighty, efficacious love of God in Jesus Christ. To this love, the royal children of God’s covenant respond by faith, loving Him and living in godly fear, but because they are little children, and that by adoption, they must learn the proper way...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. The last time we considered this subject, we saw that the children entrusted to our care are the royal children of our great and heavenly King, adopted by Him and made His own. We reflected on the privilege and responsibility this implies—that God has chosen us, earthen vessels, to reveal His own care for these royal children, and that in the way of this training He reveals His covenant to us and to them. Were an earthly king to delegate the rearing of his children to others,...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, WA. hat joy we experience as God’s people when we welcome a new child into our home! Whether it be the first or the ninth, when the long time of waiting is over and the baby arrives safely, our hearts, filled with gratitude to God, rejoice. Very soon, as the calling to care for and to train the child confronts us, we are struck by our absolute dependence on our faithful covenant God. When a new season of instruction of covenant children in home, church, and school begins,...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. “I don’t have time right now.” “I’ll do that when I have more time.” “I finally have some free time.” “I wish I could just have some time for myself!” How frequently such expressions cross our lips or thoughts and those of our children. Stewardship of time is a challenging subject for us to deal with. God’s Word clearly sets forth the principles, but applying these principles is something that we must each do in the place in which God has set us, in the freedom that...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. Mine!” shouts the two-year-old with furrowed brow. “Give it to me!” Nearly everyone, especially those who are parents, has heard these words at one time or another. Psychologists tell us that the child is simply learning to distinguish between what is his and what is another’s. While there may be a grain of truth in this idea, we can also see that such behavior is often the expression of the sinful nature we are born with. Shaking our heads and smiling a little, we reflect that the...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. In our fallen world, the words “royal children” or “royal family” often create in our minds visions of riches, luxury, and multitudes of servants—in fact, a life of ease and pleasure. Yet, even in earthly realms, this is only a part of the picture. In times past and present, kings and queens have trained their children for their place in life, expecting them to study and acquire the abilities they will one day need. Today, to fulfill the ideal of noblesse oblige, that those of noble birth should...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. Previous article in this series: August 2007, p. 446. As we draw these articles on royal children to a close, we will look briefly at one additional means to develop our ability to deal with the written and spoken word, especially with a view to understanding the Word of God. Having considered in previous articles the importance of regular and meaningful conversation with our children and the important part that reading aloud with our children can play in developing their God-given abilities, we turn to the importance...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. Previous article in this series: April 1, 2007, p. 300. Last time we began to look at developing in ourselves and our children the ability to read the written word and listen to the spoken word with understanding. We saw how important this ability is, for we are children of the Word: reading and listening to the Word of God with understanding is the means by which God works our growth in the knowledge of Him and our salvation. From the Word of God in II Timothy 3:15,...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. Royal children are children of the Word, children who must develop in their abilities to listen and speak and to read and write with understanding. Since they are stewards of the abilities and talents that their heavenly Father has given them, we as parents and teachers will encourage the development of their talents with a view to serving our Father King. We wrote of talents, not so much with an eye to differences of natural endowment, but from the perspective of abilities that, though they vary, we...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. Previous article in this series: October 1, 2006, p. 10. Continuing to consider the subject of stewardship of the gifts and talents that God has given to us, let us look at ways in which these abilities are developed as our children move into their school years. The purpose of much of their formal education is to bring out and develop their God-given abilities, not only those that are natural gifts, but the abilities they will need in order to labor as citizens of the kingdom of...