August 19: Matthew 19:13-15

Key Verse: Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’

Devotion:
The more I read through these few verses the more convinced I was Jesus was not just talking about the young children who had come to make a fuss around Jesus. Children will always get excited about crowds or something different which is happening. Our modern society frown upon children getting involved because of child safety issues, but as long as there are responsible adults involved who are impartial, things can be done safely!

I say it was more than just the children because we see people being shunned by churches because they do not fit in, or do not come from the right area. This is as bad as the Pharisees policing the people instead of allowing God to work. God wants the gospel to be accessible by everyone, which means allowing people from all walks of life to be able to come and join in with worshipping God.

Our places of worship must be safe places where anyone can come to be safe and to share in finding out more about God. We should encourage people to come in and not discourage them. If we set up rules and expectations we may well be excluding people without realising it; and by the time we do find out it is already too late because they have the wrong opinion about church life already!

Some societies actually encourage people to be themselves and work together to make sure everyone feels included. If our churches are not like that, then we are excluding people from the gospel and from meeting with Jesus. If we are too stiff-necked about the type of people we expect in church, we shouldn’t expect to see many people joining us in worshipping God because we are more likely worshipping our ideas instead of God!

Points to Ponder:
How inclusive do you think your church is?

Are you willing to talk to anyone today?