Monday, August 9, 2010
Mark 10:13-14 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
CHILDREN OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER
In our church, there is a picture on the wall of Jesus blessing the children. If you know the story, though, you would know that had the Lord's disciples had gotten their way, such a picture never would have been drawn.
When the parents brought their children to Jesus, the disciples viewed it as an annoying interruption. The Lord reacted quickly saying: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them." He had come for these little ones too. He had come to bless them. He had come to die for them. He had come to make them part of His family of believers along with their parents.
In our own lives, we want to be careful that we do not act like the disciples who did not want the children to come to Jesus. For although we might not forbid them in the open and obvious way the disciples did, we can be responsible for sending more subtle messages sometimes. Do we ever get so concerned with our daily lives and our earthly problems that we neglect to set good examples for our children in matters such as prayer, trust, forgiveness, or faithfulness? By our actions, do we ever send the message to our children that there can be times when other things are more important than God? The fact is we can and we do send such messages, for we are sinners.
Thankfully, the Lord welcomes sinners, both children and adults. "Let them come to me," He says. Safe in His arms we all receive forgiveness, for He died once for all to bring us to God. In Jesus' arms we are reminded once again how good it is to be a child of the Heavenly Father. In Jesus' arms we find safety, security, peace and hope.
