“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16).
TEXT — Luke 18:15-17
Message
It was a custom in Israel for mothers to present their children to the Jewish rabbis or teachers to bless them.
However, the disciples of Jesus thought this was inappropriate, because they felt He was too important or too busy to be bothered with little children. They were irritated that mothers kept coming to see Jesus with their children. To them, the children were not important enough to fill the already crowded schedule of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the face of it, these all sounded reasonable, but not to Jesus. When He realised what His disciples were doing to the children and their mothers, “He was much displeased” with them.
Christ instructed the disciples to allow little children to be brought to Him without hindrance. He explained to them that children, by their natural disposition, best portray the necessary characteristics befitting of the kingdom of God. They are innocent and without guile; trusting and obedient, and do not know what it means to be worried or anxious. He then stressed that anyone who desires to spend eternity with God must imbibe these necessary attributes of little children.
Christian parents should learn to deliberately introduce their children to Christ and encourage them to build and maintain a life-long relationship with Him. The church and leaders must devote sufficient time and resources to help develop these children in the way of the Lord. Again, believers should crave to imbibe the childlike attitudes of trust and faith in God. That way, they will gladly receive His word and freely follow His guidance. Like little children, we should be confident that God knows what is best for us and that He will give it to us in due course.
Thought for the day
There is no room for anxiety in an innocent and trusting heart.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
