The Value of Children

Today's Devotion

The Value of Children

Monday, September 02, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”

Mark 10:13–16

Everywhere we look, we can see signs of the devaluing of children in our culture. From the decline in childbirths to the widespread use of abortion, children are often seen as a nuisance or an expensive luxury. The rise in childless couples has been noted by a number of sociologists. Many nations around the world have reached their lowest birthrates in modern history.

The Christian view of children is very different. “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth” (Psalm 127:3–4). Every child is a gift from God and deserves all of the love and attention and care he or she needs. The tragedy of child abuse and child neglect should never been seen in the church. As the song most of us learned in Sunday school teaches, Jesus does love the children of the world.

Those who have never had children or whose children are grown and gone, can still make wonderful and meaningful investments in the lives of children. We often speak of church in terms of it being a family, and there are so many ways in which we can make a difference for the children in our church family. We have no excuse to join a wicked world in devaluing children.

Today's Growth Principle: 

The investments we make in the lives of young people create a lasting impact on the world.