Passage of the Day:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. 6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell, Matthew 18:1-9.
Reflection:
When I grew up, whenever an adult or parent was about to say something inappropriate, they would first look around to see if any children were present. Rather than speak without thinking, adults might whisper to one another if their comment was edgy to keep age-appropriate content among their peers. Unfortunately, times have changed as F-bombs go unfiltered, regularly expressed in public. Subsequently, children’s ears are being corrupted as curse words are freely exchanged without a thought of how this will influence children’s future language.
Prayerful Action:
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it, Proverbs 22:6.
Building Up Bible Believing Behaviors:
I remember the first time my father heard me curse. My dad responded like his former Army drill sergeant when a recruit was getting out of line. This initial rebuke shocked my soul and quickly brought me back on track, Matthew 7:13-14. As I grew up, my father was the disciplinarian in my house, using a paddle given to him by his fraternity brothers in college. When your father was a defensive end in college, it only took a couple of spankings to realize I didn’t want to experience that anymore. Although modern educators refer to this as cruelty, I was simply scared straight.
Song of the Day:
As society evolves, I pray that Americans return to the Judeo-Christian which this country was founded upon. Although revisionist historians have doctored and rewritten history in modern textbooks, the Bible provides plenty of guidance to notice and see all the little children living around and among your spheres of influence.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 