Children are a gift from God. Have you been around a child today? Let us stop and take notice then, that they are excited about simple things, they often skip as they go! They are happy to see you, if you simply greet them with a smile. And if you take even a bit more time, you can see Jesus in their eyes.
Children are our teachers, Lord. Children show us over time, things about ourselves, we would rather not know.
I remember a day, when I felt ‘surrounded’ by little ones. ‘They’ did this, ‘they’ broke that, ‘they’ just pushed my buttons! I remember in desperation crying, “Lord, where is the love? God, where is the love?!” I had all the ‘how-to’ books, but I knew something was missing! “God, I have no love!”
“Toni, I AM love. Keep your eyes on Me. Keep finding the meaning of ‘love’ by taking a walk each morning, with My word on your lap. In the ‘in-between’ time, make the most of your time. Follow Me in the stories, watch Me, and not mere men, who often ‘love’ by condition, that is not who I AM.”
“My love is not based on any condition at all. My love is based completely on My Name. My name is Gracious, Compassionate, Slow to Anger, and more. Put your eyes on Me, you will discover one thing, when you seek for My face, you will discover that I walk in love …not as the world or even the philosophers at that, I walk, each step in My Father’s will, I walk with the Spirit of God.”
“Yes, grace is getting what you don’t deserve.” You deserve justice, but I give you favor instead. “How and Why”? You think in your head, but I will tell you, My ways are past finding out, the wiggle and squirm and all the loud noises, are only to show you what you are like to Me! Can’t you see it? It is true, but My mercies are new every morning, yes new every day. I love you My child, ‘let the children come’, I say!”
“Ask and I will give you the good and perfect gift of My Spirit. My power is made perfect in weakness, seek Me while it is day. I AM able to give you out of My fullness, one grace after another.”
Today, Lord, let the children come, and let them teach us about You. Children are Your gift! They make us ‘poor in spirit’, yes, we see our need for grace! We thought we knew love, only to discover we had none at all- Jesus, fill our hearts with Your love, revive us here, revive us there, revive now and everywhere:
“Revive us a gain; Fill each heart with Thy love; May each soul be rekindled With fire from above. Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again!” (Revive Us Again, William P. Mackay).
“For out of My fullness, out of all My abundance, I will pour out My Spirit to My sheep who have young, even as the years go by and the vessel feels broken, I will restore the years that the locus has eaten. I will, I am willing, to give to My children blessing upon spiritual blessing. Even favor upon favor, and gift [heaped] upon gift’.( John 1:16, Amplified). I AM able, I AM able, I AM, and I will!”
“We praise Thee, O God, For the Son of Thy love; For Jesus, who died And is now gone above.” “We praise Thee, O God, For Thy Spirit of light, Who has shown us our Savior And scattered our night.” “All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain, Who has borne all our sins and hath cleansed every stain.”
Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again!” (Revive Us Again, William P. Mackay).
“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:16, 17).
“Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” Mark 9:33-37).
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17).
“Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”