Do Not Hinder the Children

“Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ” Matthew 19:14 (NASB)I can remember when a certain woman came to me. She was very distraught. She told me that her grandson had just been born, and she had been told to go find a priest to baptize her grandson, or else he would go to hell. I told her that, as a pastor, I don’t do water baptisms for babies. I told her what I do is called a “dedication” to the Lord, and we wouldn’t have to rush right into it.She was surprised that I said this. I told her that in Scripture Jesus Himself was dedicated. I also told her if her grandchild would die as an infant, he would be accepted into the kingdom by Jesus himself. So I told her not to worry, and that I could dedicate her grandchild. She said thank you and walked away. I am not sure what she did because I did not hear from her again.This is what Scripture says in Luke 2:21-23 (NLT): “Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says, ‘If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the LORD.’ ”It is written that Jesus was dedicated after birth, and it would be great if all babies could be given this opportunity—to be dedicated to the Lord by parents who follow Jesus.– Kirby James   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org