At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

–Parallel verses:
Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬-‭16‬
People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on 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. Truly I tell you, 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, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

What a great old-time song, isn’t it? “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world! Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world!” And so true it is!

The world tells us that children should be brought up and given morals and value by the government. They should be left alone to make their own decisions and not disciplined. They should be treated as adults before they even have a mind for sound reason. And lately in the United States, they should be allowed to have abortions and sex changes without parental consent. I just saw an article this week that described the most recent United Nations guidance on how to prosecute those who take advantage of children sexually. It basically said in one part (my paraphrase) to be lenient and considerate to the abuser and try to understand their needs. Also, the child may not be a victim if it was consensual. And how would they determine that? The world is warped in its treatment of children. This is because the world is all about instant gratification – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Sin destroys families and harms and scars children. Children, sadly, are seen by evil and worldly people as a means to an end.

But these passages tell us that Jesus had a very special place in his heart for children. Jesus also tells us that God did too, assigning each child an angel and getting daily reports on them.

God did some work on me in church this week and prior to that over the weekend, on how I am taking care of the children around me. I realized I was not taking them to the Lord in prayer regularly and seeking to help mentor them and bless them as much as I could. Children are typically humble and don’t know a lot, so they can take direction from others well. And they trust those they know with their lives and look to them to provide for them. God wants us to do that with him. He wants full trust and humility of heart!

We are not to despise children or turn them away from seeing Jesus. Instead we are to enable, encourage, teach and train them up in righteousness. And this is not just if you are a parent. Jesus was telling his disciples this about children that were likely not their own. And we are to instruct them in God’s truth down to the grandchildren.

This is so important. Jesus talks about it over and over again. He also gives one of the harshest warnings in scripture to those who would cause a child to stumble: a slow, painful death of drowning at the bottom of the sea would be better for this person than what God will do to them.

So, what are my takeaways here today: 1) I must refocus my priorities to make sure the children around me are invested in, cared for, and encouraged in their faith. 2) I need to teach them of God’s faithfulness. I need to make them important. 3) I need to plan on investing in them throughout my whole lifetime, to my children’s children. Retirement or being an “empty nester” is not an exemption for passing on investing in kids in God’s eyes. 4) I should approach God as a child — in humility and 100% trust.

Thank you, Lord, for your Word and its priority on children. Teach me to make those children entrusted to me see how important they are to me. Take my “schedule” and have your way with it, Lord. I repent of the sin of not investing enough and praying enough for the children in my life.