Thursday November 24, 2016
Lead Them To Christ
- MARK 10:13-16
Key Verse:
"But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14).
A preacher wanted to show off his garden to a man who wouldn't let his children attend church - he wanted them to wait until they were old enough to decide for themselves. When they walked into the garden, it was full of weeds, which were choking out his squash, beans and okra. The man said: "This is a pitiful excuse for a garden!", to which the preacher replied: "I just wanted to wait until the vegetables had grown older and able to decide for themselves what they wanted to do!" Our passage today shows a large flow of people bringing their little children to Jesus and His disciples watches on. They felt it to be an intrusion, a violation of important things to have these parents file up to Jesus while He was supposed to be teaching and speaking to those who could understand and who are more important. But Jesus gave the priority back to the children and stated that little children must not be hindered from coming to Him for whatever reason. The world is full of distractions for children - drugs, immorality, violence, evil cartoons on TV, movies, bad influences, peer pressure, etc. Some churches equally discriminate or ignore children, perhaps because they can't contribute to the church - they are a liability and not an asset, an expense and not a source of revenue. Therefore, children section in some ministries are neglected. Where they exist at all, they are packed with incompetent teachers and the children are made to worship under a tree or in a dilapidated building while the adult worshippers occupy the better buildings. But Christ says this is a misconception of what ranks high in God's kingdom. We must give priority to children and create a good atmosphere for them to hear and receive the gospel.
Thought for the day: Children are precious in His sight.
Bible Reading in one Year: EZEKIEL 45-46
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