Matthew 19:13 – 15

“Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ ”

It’s sad, but right from the days of Jesus, children have not been considered an essential element in ministry in many circles. The focus of the disciples was on the “strategic people” in society; folks who could “comprehend Jesus and reproduce His message.” I assume that the disciples were being protective of Jesus and simply considered the children as a distraction in His ministry to change the world. But just as they were wrong then, we are wrong today.

Jesus’ reply of, “’let the children come to Me, and do not forbid them” clearly shows that Jesus saw the children as a priority. He rebuked His disciples for pushing the children aside and laid His hands of blessings on the children. We need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, even in this example, He set. We must stop neglecting children in our ministry plans. We need to see them as a precious community whom Jesus loves dearly. Our calling is to bless them and bring them to the front page of personal and ministry priority. The days of neglecting children are over. If Jesus valued them highly then, He still values them highly now.

“Starting with my children and extending to other children around, help me O God not to neglect them, but to make it part of my priorities to be a blessing to them. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen.”