Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
In those days, people weren't very tolerant of children (sometimes, the same can be said for today!) It reminds me of my time in Germany. I didn't see a lot of Germans taking their kids out to dinner. In fact, whenever I took my kids out to a restaurant I would get a lot of stares. The kids' laughter would somehow make them more irritated.
In this verse, Jesus was speaking to his disciples because they seem to be irritated at the children and they were trying to keep the children from "bothering" Jesus.
You see the disciples dismissed the children's laughter and energy as a bother and Jesus puts them in their place. "Let the children come to me..." I'm sure that wasn't a soft spoken command! I can see Jesus' face with a righteous anger directed at those who would rob children of their innocence and genuine love for God.
Think about your life and the children around you. Have you ever had a callous moment when you felt kids were bothering you? Or the reverse, think of a time, an encounter with a child where you felt the presence of God in their cute little eyes?
There is no doubt in my mind that children hold a very special place in God's heart. Yet why is the world so hell bent against them. Just in my lifetime being a child has changed so much. The kids today think they live in freedom but they have no idea.
I remember freedoms I had as a child that don't exist today. My friends and I roamed the city of Orlando hours, free to ride our bikes everywhere for miles with no fear. Parents didn't need to check with us, no cell phones, freedom. Today, our children must have cell phones and check with us on every hour!
Despite all that, the kids in the United States have it very easy. Every morning, over 25,000 children around the world don't wake up. They die of a needless death due to malnutrition, sickness or senseless violence. Do we even care? We go on about our daily business, the rat race. Yet Jesus says "let the children come to me" and we are increasingly oblivious to the fact that these children around the world are denied access to their Lord and Savior!
What can we do about it? Years ago I learned of a ministry called Compassion International. They are committed to releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name, one child at a time. Now our family's life is forever changed because we sponsor children which would otherwise be forgotten and kept away from Jesus.
I invite you to do something to help children in this world. I invite you to look at Compassion as a possible way to do what Jesus did in revealing his heart for the children that were being kept away from him. It is an easy thing to do but a great blessing on the child as well as you. I urge you to go to www.sponsorachildforjesus.com today!
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