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Encouraging Children of God
Mark 10:13-14 (ESV) says, “People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.” When you were a child, did you ever feel discouraged by an adult?
Jesus warns us not to discourage children. When He saw that His disciples were discouraging children from drawing near to Him He became angry and said, “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.“ (Mark 10:14) Afterwards, Jesus took the children into His arms and blessed them.
The Bible does not give us a reason why the disciples acted that way. They might have even thought that were doing the right thing and even were protecting Jesus[i]. We can fall into this trap just like the disciples, thinking we are doing the right thing, meanwhile, what we are really doing is being discouraging. Philippians 2:2-4 reads, “complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Before we speak or act, we should consider how our actions and words will affect others. Mark 12:33 tells us, “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
A time when we may be tempted to not love our neighbors is when we are suffering. Our world tries to feed us the lie that discouraging others will make us feel better and distract us from the suffering. Also this lie may try tell us that if we just take control and work hard enough on our own, then our seeming power could make the suffering disappear. However, giving into these lies will just create more suffering and alienate us from the truth. Turning to God and trusting Him, is the way we will find the help and strength we need to solve any problem we face in life. God is always near and ready to help His children overcome discouragement. No matter your age or circumstance, God sees you as His child. He wants all His children to draw near to Him with trust and faith. God’s kingdom of eternal peace is ready for His children if they seek His comfort. Are you ready to receive and enter His kingdom as His child?
[i] Crowds followed Him, sometimes He the disciples had to beg Him to eat, and He even did not let Himself grieve the death f John the Baptist because He took compassion and fed the 5,000. (Mark 3:7-12, John 4:27-38, Mat. 14:13-21)
Written by Forrest Theiss on 2/6/2022
