June 20, 2018
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” – Matthew 19:14
Lately, every news channel and social media outlet is abuzz with the crisis of illegal border crossings and how children are being treated in the midst of the situation. As Christians, we are confronted with the difficult question of how we should feel about this. The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus loves children. They have a beautiful innocence that should be protected. Therefore, if we have the heart of Christ, we are compelled to clearly state that children must be protected from an authoritarian government who would tear them away from loving families, they must be protected from parents who are blatantly and unapologetically involved in criminal activity, they must be protected from human traffickers and abusers, and most foundationally, they must be protected from those who would murder them in their mother’s womb. If we would all work together, there is no doubt in my mind we could protect the children from all these evils; so why does this not happen?
We would quickly condemn any politician who uses children as pawns in their political jockeying. However, we are often guilty of the same evil. Much of our political outrage is actually us justifying our hatred of the “other” political party by trying to disguise it as a righteous cause. As long as our loudest cry is “look how evil the other group is,” instead of “let’s protect the innocent,” than we can be guaranteed our motivation is hatred and not love; and the motivation of hatred will never produce the fruit of love. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must never get caught up in this way of thinking and acting. So I encourage you, if you truly love children, start by showing it at home. Adopt a child who has no one to care for them, foster a child in the midst of crisis, volunteer and donate at your local crisis pregnancy center, or simply invite the kids from the troubled home down the street to spend time with your family and join you at your church so they can see the love of Christ in you. But whatever action you decide to take, be completely certain that pure and true love is your one and only motivation.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” – Ephesians 3:16-19
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon
