The Millstone

Luke 17:2 “It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.”

If we consider our precious little ones and remember God’s heart towards the innocent, we take into consideration the heart of God.

As Jesus was teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven He called the little children to His side. Matthew describes the scene in greater detail.

Matthew 18:1 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

The disciples questioned Jesus in regard to who God considered the greatest, the direction of their inquiry revealed the position of their hearts. Apart from God mankind is self-centered, egotistical, and strives to exalt himself. Jesus turned their attention away from themselves and toward the ones who were considered insignificant before the world.

Matthew 18:2-5 “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”

The pattern consistent in scripture is of following Jesus in all you do. Whether the task is receiving a child, praying for healing, or seeking justice—doing it in Jesus name is to understand how to follow the King in how and where He is leading.

The Faith of Children

Children learn to trust at a very young age. Their reliance on their mother and father gives us a model for the faith we should place in our heavenly father. Children trust their lives to their parents and so the parallel that Jesus makes is one of reliance.

Isaiah 12:2 “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

A battle is still being waged against the innocent children of our day. The battle has endured for thousands of years in which children have been a source of the enemies attack. For many wicked civilizations like the Canaanites, the sacrifice of children for the sake of prosperity became the practice. Offering up their children at the altar of Marduk would hopefully appease their gods and bring in a great harvest.

Today, people seek out abortion alternatives to keep their lifestyles in tact, claiming women’s rights while thoughtlessly taking the life of another. Evil teachers prey upon the innocent and indoctrinate them toward deviant lifestyles or make them think that how God made them is not enough.

The wickedness of a world that has grown darker by the day is realized upon the most vulnerable.

Besides the tragedy of abortion, the statistics show that around the world 168 million children are victims of forced labor while over 1.2 million are victims of human trafficking at any given moment. Girls and boys are often subject to different types of trafficking, for instance, girls may be trafficked for forced marriage and sexual exploitation, while boys may be trafficked for forced labor or recruitment into armed groups.

Jesus identifies Himself with these little ones and each time they are abused it becomes an offense against God.

Matthew reiterates the same warning as Luke….

Matthew 18:6-7 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”

The wrath of God will be great against those who have abused their influence and lead children into sin.

Today there is a great push by the National education boards in America to teach children perverse sexuality, they confuse kids regarding their gender, and promote devious and wicked practices that leads them toward depression and suicide. The evil has invaded every aspect of our culture, while secular colleges continue the onslaught of attack. The enemy will not stop until the world is completely destroyed.

The Kingdom of God must stand up against the darkness, the light scatters the darkness and truth reveals error.

Isaiah 60:2 “For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.”

The glory of God is found among the faithful. His people must extend His glory to the nations and stand up for those who can’t stand for themselves.

A Spiritual War

Don’t think for a minute the battle for children is anything but a spiritual battle. The more innocent and vulnerable, the more the enemy tries to prey upon their lives.

Matthew 18:10 “See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.”

The little ones are so precious to the Lord that He appoints angels to watch over them individually. You may wonder where God was when a child is abused but we know for certain, nothing escapes His eyes. We may not see the abuser get the justice he deserves on earth but that will be nothing compared to what he will experience in Hell.

Many are familiar with the parable of the 99 sheep, but what they forget is that it was those who are innocent that He was referring to.

Matthew 18:12-14 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.“

Believers in Christ should take as much care in considering what is dear to God’s heart and make sure it is dear to their hearts.

Defend the unborn, protect the abused, rescue those taken captive by the predators of an evil society. Keep the wickedness of this world’s ideology away from our kids and grandkids. It’s perfectly fine for kids to be naive to this world, it’s appropriate to keep them from the perverse sexuality of a world bent on opposing God’s holy standard.

If the church doesn’t stand up…who will?

When we protect the little ones, we express love toward God.