Day 41: Faith Like a Child

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And he called a child to himself and set him before them, And said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-4)

What did Jesus mean by this passage?

Have

you ever watched a child pray? Or listened while a child prayed to God?

The past couple weeks have been a blessing in my life. I have spent many nights at Casa de Hogar, a Children’s Home in Panama. I have gotten to know the children and have been reminded how quickly children can grow to love someone and accept someone. It didn’t take more than a day or two before they were hugging me, sitting in my lap, or inviting me to sit with them in worship or at meals.

One thing that jumped out at me quickly about these children was watching them pray. Many nights I eat supper with them, usually a bowl of rice and some chicken or meat. After that, we have a devotional. But watching the children over the past couple weeks, I have noticed something. Whenever any of them sit down to eat, each one will bow their head and pray. Without fail, they will give thanks to God before taking a bite.

This may not seem like a big deal to you. But it speaks volumes to me.

These are children who have come from severe poverty. In many cases they have been malnourished, neglected, or abused. I have no idea what each child’s spiritual or emotional background was when they moved into the Children’s Home.

But I do know this- besides getting three meals a day, plenty of water, plenty of love, their own bed, a roof over their head, and clothes on their backs at the Children’s Home, each child is taught about the love of God.

They are taught about the love of Jesus. They are taught to give thanks for every blessing they receive.

Proverbs 22:6- “Train up a child the way he should go, and in the end he will not depart from it.”

One can put a price on food, on shelter, and on clothes.
But one cannot put a price on love…on compassion….or on kindness.
And one certainly cannot put a price on changing someone’s eternal future. We can all say Amen to that.

Written by Phil Waggoner, Mt. Juliet Missionary in Latin America

# posted by JP @ 12:01 AM on Friday, December 24, 2010

Comments:

Phil, your love for these children and for Christ comes thru loud and strong in this writing.

We love you, Buddy

# posted by

Buddy Pickler : December 28, 2010 at 1:35 PM



Day 41: Faith Like a Child “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And he called a child to himself and set him before them, And said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-4) What did Jesus mean by this passage? Have you ever watched a child pray? Or listened while a child prayed to God? The past couple weeks have been a blessing in my life. I have spent many nights at Casa de Hogar, a Children’s Home in Panama. I have gotten to know the children and have been reminded how quickly children can grow to love someone and accept someone. It didn’t take more than a day or two before they were hugging me, sitting in my lap, or inviting me to sit with them in worship or at meals. One thing that jumped out at me quickly about these children was watching them pray. Many nights I eat supper with them, usually a bowl of rice and some chicken or meat. After that, we have a devotional. But watching the children over the past couple weeks, I have noticed something. Whenever any of them sit down to eat, each one will bow their head and pray. Without fail, they will give thanks to God before taking a bite. This may not seem like a big deal to you. But it speaks volumes to me. These are children who have come from severe poverty. In many cases they have been malnourished, neglected, or abused. I have no idea what each child’s spiritual or emotional background was when they moved into the Children’s Home. But I do know this- besides getting three meals a day, plenty of water, plenty of love, their own bed, a roof over their head, and clothes on their backs at the Children’s Home, each child is taught about the love of God. They are taught about the love of Jesus. They are taught to give thanks for every blessing they receive. Proverbs 22:6- “Train up a child the way he should go, and in the end he will not depart from it.” One can put a price on food, on shelter, and on clothes. But one cannot put a price on love…on compassion….or on kindness. And one certainly cannot put a price on changing someone’s eternal future. We can all say Amen to that. Written by Phil Waggoner, Mt. Juliet Missionary in Latin America # posted by JP @ 12:01 AM on Friday, December 24, 2010 Comments: Phil, your love for these children and for Christ comes thru loud and strong in this writing. We love you, Buddy # posted by Buddy Pickler : December 28, 2010 at 1:35 PM Post a Comment << Home	Mt. Juliet Church of Christ 1940 N. Mt. Juliet Road P.O.Box 248 Mt.Juliet, TN 37122-0248 (615)758-2274 Fax:615-754-2351 Email Worship Services: Sunday Early Worship: 8AM Sunday Bible Study: 9:15AM Sunday Late Worship: 10:15AM Night Worship: 6PM Wednesday Bible Study: 7PM Past Archives: November 2010 December 2010

Day 41: Faith Like a Child

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