Bringing Scripture to Life

The other day as I was sitting down enjoying my time with our 4 1/2 month old son Jeremiah, I was given an unpleasant reminder of how messy life can be at times. As I was holding my baby boy, our father/son bonding moment was interrupted by a vibrating noise that sounded somewhat like the beginning of a thunder storm (aka "thunder from down under"). I remember being amazed at my son's talent for making such incredibly powerful sounds at such a young age. But my amazement quickly turned to apprehension as I began to get the sensation of a strange and unfamiliar type of "baby warmth" that began steaming over my lap, the area where he was sitting. At first I thought it would be okay, but then I began to clue into the fact that this was not his normal thunder from down under. This one had much more noise and oomph behind it. Plus, I had never had this type of "baby warmth" come over me before. As I began pondering how messy parenting can be at tim...

Why do we do baby dedications? First off, baby dedications are not a commandment in Scripture, although they are practiced in the Bible. Baby dedications do not save the child, that comes when they get to an age where they trust Jesus as their Savior. The reason we do baby dedications though, is because of the precedence we see set in Scripture for us. For example, we know in the Old Testament, that Hannah dedicated young Samuel, who would grow up to be the prophet of God, and would eventually anoint David as Israel's king. In 1 Samuel 1:26-28 Hannah says to Eli the priest, "O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD: as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD." So they worshiped the LORD there." So we see here that Hannah dedicated her first born son, Samuel to the...