"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

Our homes are the best schools of Christian living. What children learn in the home from the example of their parents will be woven into their character and the design of their later years. This places a tremendous responsibility on parents.

From the time Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me," He destroyed the blindness of the world to the glory and meaning of childhood. Christianity took note of children from the beginning and never deserted them. Jesus never used harsher words than when He warned against the abuse and neglect of children. To offend a child in his or her faith is to tamper with eternity.

There is no better way to serve Christ than to serve Him through service to children. Those who faithfully instruct their children in the home and church are making one of the greatest contributions to the kingdom of God and of man. "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me."

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me model and speak of Your love to the children around me; for Jesus' sake. Amen.

(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)

Today's Bible Readings: Isaiah 47-49    Romans 9:1-15

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