What Jesus Did! 'Welcome the Child' — Mark 9:36-37

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Your Support is Needed

Donations are vital to help us keep the light shining!

 Donate Now
Then [Jesus] put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me."
— Mark 9:36-37 NLT

Key Thought

How we treat those from whom we can receive nothing in return determines our hearts. In Jesus' day, most people did not consider children to be significant in the social pecking order. In many ways, that condition still exists today - notice how day-care workers and teachers are still among the lowest-paid workers in many modern countries. So Jesus reminds his followers that the way they welcome, treat, and value children reveal a great deal about their hearts. What does it say about our own?

Today's Prayer

Father, thank you for challenging me to value people whom others neglect, devalue, and overlook. Help me follow through on my conviction to love all people, especially those from whom I can receive no monetary, status, or power benefit. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

1 Related Resource by Heartlight

Act of God
Article by Rubel Shelly
Let's turn this phrase on its ear! Rubel Shelly talks about the term act of God and turns the phrase around to be a call to action for God's people.

Illustration

Illustration of Mark 9:36-37 NLT — "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, June 22, 2024

God's Holy Fire
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
'Testing for the Genuine Spirit of God'
"My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are..."
Quotemeal
A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage.
Quote by Leo Buscaglia:
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have....."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
Proverbs 31:30
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'Heaven's Choirs' (Re. 19:1-2)
"I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing, Hallelujah! The salvation and glory and power are God's — his judgments true, his..."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!