Children

Today I read Genesis 36:31-38:2 and Matthew 19:5-20:3. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 37:4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Dealing with children can be a very difficult proposition. The Bible has quite a lot to say about children. The first verse that I have chosen today illustrates a mistake some parents make, and its consequences. Jacob showed favoritism for his son Joseph over all his other children. Because of that, Joseph’s brothers hated him; they couldn’t even speak to him civilly. They wanted to be rid of him, and eventually they did capture him and sell him to foreigners as a slave. They told their father that he had been killed and caused their father years of inconsolable grief. Jesus, on the other hand, showed love and compassion for all children. He told the disciples to bring the children to Him and commented that “of such is the kingdom of heaven”. We are His spiritual children when we accept His gift of salvation, but little children who have not reached the age of accountability for their actions are innocent in His sight. Jesus loves children; he wants children to come to Him and learn from Him and become His spiritual children when they are old enough to seek salvation. Parents need to lead their children in that direction—teach them about Jesus and encourage them to be like him.