Mark 10:13-15: 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. Tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Years ago there was a TV program, Art Linkletter’s KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS. Now I am not sure if that was the exact title but close enough. Some may remember Mr. Linkletter even wrote a book about. Several years after it was off the air Bill Cosby tried to resurrect the program but it’s time was over. One of the most beautiful things about children is their innocence. They say exactly what they think. On Mr. Linkletter’s program, the children just answered the questions or told stories that did embarrass some families but we all laughed because whatever the child said (no matter how inappropriate) was funny! The children, usually, had no idea why everyone was laughing. They will tell family things that should stay in the family unit. Most of us will stop them from repeating what we think starts out as more information than we need to know. Now, Jesus looked upon the innocence of children and said that we all need to be like them, for if we do not believe as a child, then we will not enter Heaven! Do not shoot the messenger. I am only repeating scripture! Children believe whatever they are told by Mom or Dad or some other person with authority. Well, isn’t that just what Jesus has told us! He talked about the kingdom of God. We can’t see the kingdom but, as Christians, we (hopefully) believe it is up there and sooner or later we will be there with God, the Triune. Now triune is just a fancy name for God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The apostles were beside themselves, that people would bring their CHILDREN (imagine CHILDREN!) so that Jesus could touch them. What faith! How wonderful to believe that one touch from this man of so much controversy and adversity should touch their children and bless the children just by His touch! Is that how we feel? Is that how we act? Do we defend Jesus to all we speak? Do people even know that you are a Christian? Do you believe that through Christ’s blood, our sins are all forgiven? Ask any of your children who are taught in Sunday school here and they can answer that right off the bat and without hesitation. Many years ago it was said that a child should only speak when spoken to. Thankfully, most people do not go by that old adage today. One day I heard a child say that Jesus is the most important person in his life! Now I do think, that the child still meant that after his/hers parents, that Jesus then was the most IMPORTANT. But we are told to put God first. The order is God, family, and then our job. All three things need to work together for each of us to be a complete person in God’s eye. He sent us His only Son. Why? So that we could be saved. And all He asks of us is to love one another and to believe. In John 13: 34-35, Jesus said: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." He said the greatest commandment of all was to love each other. Children love unconditionally. We need to love the same way. Even if we are not liked or have been done wrong by anyone, we should still love them and be good to them. This is a hard thing for most of us to do. Many years ago, a terrible act was committed upon someone I loved. I despised this person for quite some time. I kept asking God for guidance in this area. I knew I needed to forgive this person and move on. But let me tell you brothers and sisters, this was an exceptionally hard thing to do. Many months passed. However, with much prayer and thought, God taught me how to forgive. I would lie in bed at night, crying, begging, and wondering why I had to forgive. It was just going to be easier for me to be mad at this person, to not like this person, to totally write this person off my page of history. But, we know this can’t happen. If I was to “walk the walk as well and not just talk the talk”, if I was going to be let into the wonderful kingdom, then I needed to do as Jesus told us to do - forgive and love again. And, after all that, quite honestly, it takes too much energy from your body, physically and mentally, to not “love” one another. A family friend worked in her dream job. She became a teacher, and oh how she loved working with children and teaching them everything they needed to know. However, not everything was picture perfect. She loved what she was doing, but there was a coworker who constantly said things to make people feel belittled. The remarks were said randomly, and our friend never knew when a comment would be made. At first, our friend just let it roll off her back, but one day, it finally got to her. She was quite distraught, and did not want to be around that person at all, but our friend’s job required them to work side by side. Well, what was one to do? Our family friend asked God for guidance. Time came for the teachers to decide what grade level they wanted to teach and what teachers they wanted to work with for the following school year. Well, our friend decided to stay with the person who was acting “inappropriately.” Why you ask? She once told me, “For several reasons: to assist the new teachers coming in, to stay teaching the same grade, because she didn’t feel like packing everything up to move an unpack again, but the most important was because she wanted to show love to this person and maybe “guide” her. Now, brother and sisters, if that’s not love for one another, what is? After awhile, the coworker stopped belittling our friend, and I do believe it is because our friend is a woman of faith and let that be known to all around her, and always showed love for one another, just as Jesus taught us to do. 1 John 4:7-12: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” See, a person will find it hard to continue on his or hers course with you acting as Jesus told us to do. A young child never even considers whether a person is treating them correctly or incorrectly. They just love. 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. In conclusion, I just want to say thank you, Jesus, for all that you have taught us. And all God’s children said AMEN AMEN
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 18:58:41 +0000
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