June 2003
Let the little children come to me...
This month we're going to look at Bible passages which concern children. The
Bible has a lot to say about children. Whether it's their value in the family
of faith, how to teach them or how to be more like them - the Bible has important
lessons for us to learn from our "youngsters!" Please take some time
this month to read through these passages and reflect on them.
Psalm 139:13 says, "For You, Lord, created my inmost being; You knit me
together in my mother's womb. I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." The Psalmist knew
that we have been created by God, in His very own image; and that God knew all
about us even before we were born.
The Old Testament has several stories about children, and how they, by trusting
in God, served Him faithfully. Read about a young boy named Samuel, who God
called by name one night, in I Samuel 3:1-21. Samuel went on to serve God and
God's people for the rest of his life. II Kings 5:1-16 tells us about a young
girl who helps a foreign king through the prophet Elisha, and II Kings 22:1-20
speaks about Josiah, who was eight years old when he became king of Judah. He
served God and Judah well throughout his life.
In the New Testament, Jesus said in Matthew 18, beginning with verse 3: "…
I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you
will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like
this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." And in Matthew 19:13-15,
Jesus blessed the little children and prayed for them and said, "Let the
little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the Kingdom of Heaven
belongs to such as these."
In I Timothy 4:11-16, the Apostle Paul is speaking to a young man named Timothy,
but the words are appropriate for all young people.
All of us who believe in Jesus are called "children of God" in Romans
8:16-17; and I John speaks of God as our Father and His great love for us. Read
I John 3 and find out what God plans for all of us who are His children.