Some people were bringing little children to Him so He might touch them, but His disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me. Don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you:  Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. After taking them in His arms, He laid His hands on them and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16 HCSB

I love how this Scripture passage starts. Jesus had been preaching and teaching about things like divorce and adultery. Mark 10:13 tells us that some people were bringing little children to Him. Obviously, the disciples did not think Jesus had time for little children. After all, He was a very busy Savior with a lot of work to do. But Jesus rebuked His disciples. He was indignant when he saw them trying to send the children away. What Jesus tells them is something we would all do well to remember. Jesus told them to let these children come to Him. He told them not to stop them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. The kingdom of God belongs to the little children, how awesome is that?

As adults we aspire to get to heaven, we aspire to be a part of the kingdom of God. But little children are guaranteed their portion.

Jesus is telling His disciples we must have childlike faith to inherit the kingdom of God. If you’ve ever worked with children, you know what this means. Children have this innocence about them. They have not yet been scarred by the evil in the world. They soak up information like little sponges. This is the best time to teach them about God and to train them to be obedient to Him and to trust in Him.

Being a parent or guardian over a child is a huge responsibility. Children are our future. I’ve often heard it said there are no instruction manuals for raising children, but actually there is. Our bible is an awesome instruction manual that covers everything we face in life.

There are Scriptures in the Old Testament where we are clearly told we must teach our children about God and His commandments. In Deuteronomy 11 God is stressing the importance of loving Him and obeying His commands. In verse 19 He stresses the urgency of teaching children to obey His commands. He says in verses 19-21, “Teach your children, talking about them (the commandments) when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your fathers.”

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train a child up in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  Bringing children to God is not just a good thing to do, but it is a responsibility given to us by God. The Bible is very clear about this.

If you are blessed to have a child in your life, teach them to trust and obey Jesus. Bring them to a good bible teaching church where they can learn His word. Because one day they are going to be out in this cold, cruel world and they will need to know how to stand firm in the faith. They are our future. Help to make theirs brighter.

Have a great day!