A Child's Joy

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

Children are truly a blessing. When I completed this design, it reminded me of good times as a child. It has movement, bright colors, and the motion of a child’s swing. Jesus loves children. When I read about abortion, I wonder how those who support it will react when they come face to face with Jesus. How do they justify killing babies? Or, those who abuse children how will they face Jesus? Children are truly a blessing. Like many of you, I will always remember the birth of my two children and the joy I felt in my heart. And then, it was duplicated with the birth of my grandchildren! God is good!

In Isaiah 44:24 it is written, “This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb; I am the Lord, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.” And in Isaiah 49:16 it is written, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” I find it so humbling as a human to be part of God’s creation. I find it so comforting that he formed me in the womb and has me engraved on the palms of his hands. It makes me want to stand and shout out with joy to my God and King. And in the world in which we live today, we all need to stop and say, thank you, Lord for being with us. To me it seems like the world has become all about control and power. In the world we seem to go about our daily lives without praising our Creator. We look to the government to do everything for us instead of keeping our focus on the Lord. We are changing church doctrine to fit society in an age of “don’t offend” anyone. Oh, how foolish we are. We must do as Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:16; “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

Unlike some people, I like the Book of James. Eugene Peterson, in the Message, wrote James Chapter 2, verse 17, this way, Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? And then he wrote verse 22 this way, Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. That is a powerful message for us. As we go about our daily lives, the way in which we conduct ourselves reflects our faith. We must do all we can to be like Jesus. We must love and take care of the children. There is no option!