Monday 3/7/16 The Big Trip (46)

Dear Father in Heaven: Thank You for having Your healing hand upon me and taking care of me. I love You, Lord! Please forgive me of my sins. Please be with the family and friends of Nancy Reagan who has come on to heaven. Please be with all those who are serving this country in one way or another and please keep Your hand upon them. Please be with those running for President of the United States and I pray that a Christian leader will step forth and be elected. Please watch over President Obama and his family and protect them, Lord. Please help me now with the message and then please help me to get it dispatched. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters, I am still in recovery mode from what seems to have been a virus of some type. In my terms or in Lehman's language, I have had the "runs" for two weeks. Thanks for your prayers. I have gone through a ton of Imodium and about a "dozen corks!" Anyway, time to get back to writing for our Lord Jesus. I miss it when I am not at the keyboard, but when I am not feeling well, it seems God does not give me a message to write, and I write for Him and nobody else. So let me have at it.

Monday: March 7, 2016: The Big Trip (Day Forty-six)

Luke 18:15 - People were also bringing babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to Him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (NIV)

Dear brothers and sisters, one thing I was asked a lot when back in high school at John Harris in Harrisburg, Pa., was "What did I want to be when I grew up?" Not what did I want to be after school, but when I grew up. Some people wondered back then if I ever would grow up, and I guess there are some still in doubt if I will ever grow up. Yes, it seems that I clowned around a lot, or "carried on a lot," but still I would go to work each day and get it done for whomever I was working for.

One of the things I did not do enough of was to see that I took my children when they were little to learn more about Jesus. I mean they got to church and Sunday School, but not always, seems other things would often get in the way. A lot of that problem was that I was not fully saved back in those days. Now what do I mean by not fully saved? Well, I was flirting with being saved but never came fully to Jesus and remained with Him back in those days. I was a lost son, in other words I would come to Jesus and then drift away and come back. Yes, I was back and forth a few times before I came home to stay. AND PRAISE GOD I AM HOME TO STAY!!! AMEN!!!

In today's scripture Jesus is telling His disciples about the little children. The adults were there to hear and be healed by Jesus and also wanted their children touched by Jesus, but the disciples of Jesus were turning the little children back like Jesus might not have time for them. However, Jesus wanted the children to come to Him and in fact He wanted and still wants all of us, all of us adults, or big kids, to come to Him as if a little child. Why might Jesus have wanted people, all people, to come to Him as if they were children? Because children, little children, HAVE FAITH. If we adults had the faith of little children when it comes to Jesus and also a lot of other things, we would be so much better off.

As we look at the scripture we can see first that Jesus gives a warning about preventing the little children from coming unto Him. Jesus said "Do not hinder them." Then He issues this warning to all of us, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And what do you think that means? It is simple, we must have the faith of a child. Have you ever seen faith in a child? Let me give you a few examples. Number one, watch a child as Christmas nears and watch the faith they have that someone is going to give them toys. Also watch as a child learns to walk, you hold out your hands and they walk towards you, having faith in you that if they stumble you will be there to catch them. Oh, and who can forget the first time on that two-wheel bicycle? Oh, how I thought my daddy had a hold on the back of that seat to hold me up. These little ones have faith you as a parent are going to feed them and change their pants, etc. And oh how I wish we had those picture Bibles when I was a child. Those Read-N-Grow Bibles are just wonderful. So brothers and sisters, I want you to think about this, as I stroll you back to your days of childhood today and introduce you once again to my dear friend Jesus. He is the one and only one who will never let us down, never, ever let us down. If we walk in His light, grow up with Him and do the very best we can, He will never let go of the back of our bike seat, He will indeed hold us up.

One last thing on this and it goes for all of us and most of all to pastors and others who work directly for God. Do not steer these children in the wrong direction, even if that child is 50-plus or minus a bunch of years. Jesus said "Do not hinder a child seeking me."  And a person who has never come to Jesus or who has slipped away and is coming back is truly just a "Child of God" and in fact once we were saved, once we are "Born Again," are we not then fully a "Child of God?" I rest my case.

Dear Father, help us bring in the lost and those who are lost are indeed a child. Help us to help them seek out Jesus. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Brothers and sisters, go forth now living for Jesus, loving Jesus and sharing His love, and maybe you remember this song and could sing it also. Love ya.

Pastor Dan

Jesus loves me! This I know
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong.
They are weak and He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died,
Heaven's gates to open wide.
He will wash away my sin.
Let His little child come in.

Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus take this heart of mine;
Make it pure and wholly Thine.
Thou has bled and died for me:
I will henceforth live for Thee.

Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.

Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.