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Listen while you read: "Tell Me The Stories Of Jesus"1 (Lyrics) |
Matthew 19:14 – Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (NIV)
"Tell me the story of Mama patting the skunk." "What about the time that Digby caught the mouse?" My grandchildren love hearing the stories of my childhood, or that of their parents. As we snuggle down for bedtime stories, they enjoy hearing me read the traditional books, but can't wait for them to end so that they can ask for one from real life. I, too, have wonderful memories of hearing my dad tell stories from his childhood. My mother would groan and say that we've heard that story before, but in the repetition was the love — the love of our father for us — the love of us for our father. I remember his stories, as I hope my grandchildren will remember mine.
The Bible is full of stories from the life of Jesus. They were passed down by His disciples in love — love for Jesus and love for His followers. Jesus as a boy in the temple. Jesus walking on water. Jesus breaking bread at the Last Supper … so many beloved stories. We learn them in Sunday school. We sing about them in church. Hopefully, we pass those stories along to the next generation and the next. They are our family stories, the stories of our family of God.
Jesus was a great storyteller when He wanted to instruct His followers. The parable of the sower, the prodigal son, the lost coin, the fig tree … We hear these stories, learn from them, and remember them. The children were drawn to Jesus, and I suspect that His storytelling ability was part of the reason. I would love to have been one of those children gathered at His knee!
So, tell the stories. Repeat them to your children and grandchildren. Tell them to the kids in your Sunday school class. Sing them out loud as you go about your chores at home. Make them part of your everyday life. Keep the stories of Jesus alive, and in so doing, keep your faith alive and growing.
- Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear;
Things I would ask Him to tell me if He were here;
Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.
– William H. Parker
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we hear Your stories and remember them. Use them to teach us what we need to know to live godly lives. Use them to comfort us when we feel lonely in our faith. Help us to pass the stories to others, that they may learn them, too. In the name of Jesus, the greatest storyteller of all, we pray. Amen.
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Thanks for the encouraging words, Mary.
Amen Mary Ellen. Good and true advice.
What a lovely lesson. I’m taking it VERY MUCH to heart. God bless.
Thank you, Mary Ellen for these great reminders of the old stories of our faith.
Dear Mary Ellen.
Thank you for your beautifully written, inspiring devotional. It truly touched me. I feel blessed.
Mary Ellen
That is a beautiful write up.
Praying to be blessed with grand kids to share Jesus’ name and stories with!
Mary Ellen, this is the first devotional I recall of yours, and I thank you for bringing dear memories of childhood to my mind. Jesus lives in Bible stories and in family life, too.
Thank you, Mary, for your devotional for a very hot Saturday.
May the Lord bless you in many special and surprising ways.
(Ca.)
Thank you, Mary Ellen, for your devotion of today.
Yes, it’s so important to tell the old, old stories to our growing children.
Thank you and thank you for your encouragement,
(Quebec)
Thank you, Mary Ellen,
I loved the thoughts of passing on these stories to children and singing to yourself to keep your spirits up. Our grandchildren are at university and out of reach due to Covid, but it is a nice thought.
Do keep up the good work and keep us cheerful.
Thank you!! This is a great way to start my day! I have forwarded it to my kids and niece and nephew who, over the years, have heard and asked for my stories of the olden days. The bible story of Jesus and the children gathered around has been my favourite. I look forward to more of your writing. Happy weekend.
Oh Mary Ellen, your message moved me to tears. You had so many gems included throughout BUT your prayer topped it off. Use the stories to teach, to comfort, to help us pass along so others can also learn from them as well! You are so right that Jesus was the greatest story-teller ever! Thanks for sharing such a moving devotional!
Love it! My husband has stories too, he loves to tell them to the grandsons. They sit with smiling faces, waiting for the punchline, which they know already!
Sadly, they don’t know the stories of Jesus, but we’re praying!
Thanks for this and bless you for your inspiration!
(BC)
Hello Mary,
Thank you muchly for this morning’s devotional. Your advice about telling stories, especially those from the Bible, is so right. I think we all like hearing stories and I find great delight in seeing and hearing the reactions from the little children as they listen to stories. It is a great way of passing on the teachings of our Lord and Saviour.
Blessings for your writing.
Thank you for sharing this devotion, and the hymn is one of my favourites, from childhood on. Sadly, it isn’t sung very often anymore.
The older I get, the more I cherish the stories of my childhood! And has so often been expressed, “I wish I had turned on a tape recorder” when I still had my parents and their siblings together. I have written about my childhood memories growing up on a farm, for my siblings to enjoy, and one day, I hope my grandchildren and their offspring will cherish those memories, too. Thank you for prodding my memory today as I relive the ‘good old days’ when Sunday School lessons were printed in colourful, take home folders, and life seemed so much simpler.
Blessings!
(ON)
Dear Mary Ellen,
You are so right about storytelling, and Jesus knew their importance. I always wonder if Jesus had many more stories that He didn’t tell. Thank you.
Good morning Mary Ellen,
I want to thank you for the wonderful encouragement of how important the stories of the Bible and our own stories are in this world. I loved that song “Tell me the Stories of Jesus” when we sang it at church. It is true that these stories of Jesus do teach us how to live and do comfort us in times of stress. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and may you enjoy your day as you sing the stories. Blessings.
Mary Ellen,
This was absolutely lovely! Thank you for writing such a beautiful devotional.
What a wonderful message, Mary Ellen! Your kids and grandkids are lucky to have such a great storyteller in their family and I feel blessed to have you so sweetly pass along this gift to us. Thank you.
Dear Ms. Miller:
I am almost 89 years old. I can well remember singing Mr. Parker’s hymn “Tell me the stories of Jesus” in Sunday School. I knew the words by heart because I couldn’t read yet as I hadn’t begun school. How I loved to sing it!
Thanks for your inspiring message that brought back fond memories of my happy childhood.