Daily Devotional

-July 23, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Jesus Loves And Blesses Little Children-

“Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ And He laid hands on them and departed from them.”

(Matthew 19:13-15).

Jesus loves everyone and wants everyone to come to Him. In Scripture, God has a special love for those who the weakest and most vulnerable such a widows and orphans, and as we see in today’s text, little children.

The disciples reacted poorly in this situation and actually rebuked the parents who brought them to Jesus. In Mark’s account of this incident, it says in Mark 10:14, “But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.’” There were a few times when Jesus got angry with His disciples, and this was one of them. Jesus used this incident as a teachable moment.

There is a double lesson for us in this story: how He loves and cares for little children and how coming to Him in salvation we must come like little children. We are blessed in both of these lessons for our lives.

• Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them – Parents have a big role in bringing their children to Jesus. They are with them 24-7 and have the greatest impact on their spiritual lives. Often, we do not think that the very little ones can grasp the gospel, and while it is true they must be able to understand sin and their need of Christ, we still need to impart to them from their youngest days the message of the gospel. It is amazing what they can understand from a very young age.

Sunday School is a big blessing to the little ones, but parents should not rely on the teaching their kids are getting on Sunday morning. The parent’s and Sunday School teaching must be complimentary. Both together provide children with the biblical foundation for their lives. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

• For of such is the kingdom of heaven – When we come to Christ, we must come like little children with a simple, child-like faith, fully relying on God. This why it much easier to win children to Christ than adults. Adults as the experience life become more skeptical and self-reliant than children. We as Christians are children of God and we must learn to trust our Heavenly Father to provide for us and protect us.

When the disciples argued among themselves over which one of them was the greatest, Jesus brought in a child to show them a lesson in humility. Little children don’t debate among themselves who is greatest. They just get long with each other and play together.

May the Lord help us to teach our kids about Jesus and lead them to Him. Children are precious to the Lord and to us. Let us also remember that we as believers are His children. He loves each of us and cares for us. We need that child-like faith and trust in our Heavenly Father. He is our Abba Father, which means daddy.

Have a blessed day living lives as children of God and being good role models to our children. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

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