Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's
food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do
some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change
all that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to
live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, good morning, Good morning.
It is Sunday, September three, twenty twenty three. Hello, my
name is L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is
your Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today
is no exception. We are continuing in our lesson study series through the Book
of Ephesians, and our caption for today is Advice two Children, Advice to
Children. We'll get into that in just a moment, but first i'd like
to say welcome to you and ask you to please go over to your Daily
Portion dot com, join our online community, and of course click that button
to pick up the Your Daily Portion book. And as I always say,
that is a way for us to build faith and fellowship at your daily portion
dot Com. Let's go ahead and pray and then we will get underway.
Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us the privilege to call you Father.
I pray God that you will give us the kind of wisdom that we
need to be good children in Jesus name, I pray Amen and Amen again.
Let me just say that this concept of advice to children may seem a
little bit weird considering this is an quote adult lesson, and yes, there
may be some youth who listen to me or read the lessons study, but
quite frankly, the children who listen probably are of the age of majority.
Right, you're already in a position where you're not having to quote obey in
the Bible sense your parents, because you would have already been in a you
know, in that's phase for eighteen years and now you're out on your own
at least where decision making is concerned. So parents, let me just start
there. Honor your parents. But in terms of obeying, then let me
say to the parents that this is something that we train our children to do.
So if it feels weird, like wait a minute, but the children
aren't listening. That's right. So let this be guidance for us, those
of us who are adults, those of us who are training children, right,
raising children. This is guidance for us to pass along to our children.
Okay, I just wanted to say that. Maybe I'm a little bit
too literal to you know whatever, but I just needed to say that.
So what we're gonna do now is open up, open up the Bible.
Here in Ephesians chapter six, Ephesians chapter six, beginning at verse one,
and this guidance in the scriptures is for children. Right, all right,
children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor
your father and mother, which is the first commandment, with promise that it
may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on the earth. And
right here in the book Adventist Home, something very important is written on page
two hundred and ninety three, and it reads, when commands of parents contradict
the requirements of Christ, then painful though it may be, they children must
obey God and trust the consequences with him. You know, when I was
a child, When I was a child, I lived in a pastor's household,
and in those days you know, we had the little phone that you
would dial right dial the number. But anyway, I digress, and you
know, many calls would come in, many calls would come in. And
I'm not saying this happened in my house, but in houses like mine.
Yeah, when the calls would come in and they were just too many,
then the person the parent would would sometimes say tell them I'm not here,
like, well, if you're here telling me that you're not here, then
that's a lie, right, And it's funny or as tongue in cheek as
it seems that I'm communicating this. The fact is that God would not be
pleased if the child actually obeyed that, because it's not true. So maybe
the child could say, my parent is not taking calls at this time,
my parent is not taking calls at this time. But to say that my
father my mother is not here would be a lie and that is not what
God is saying to do. Okay. And also it says here in Matthew
chapter eighteen, verses one through five at the same oh wait, did I
even finish what I was saying? Yes, Matthew chapter eighteen, verses one
through five. It sometimes it's like this, brothers and sisters. Right at
the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying who is the greatest in
the Kingdom of Heaven. And Jesus called a little child to him and set
that child in the midst of them and said, verily, I say unto
you, except you become converted. And I want you to hear that part.
Right. So Jesus is not asking people or commanding people to become child
like or child ish, maybe that's the right word. He's not asking you
to become immature, like to regress, like to go back to when you
were six and you are already sixty. No, he is saying, listen
to his words. Jesus called the child satom in the midst and said,
except ye be converted. So that is the first guidance, to be converted,
to surrender your will to God and become as little children. So being
as little children is not the focus point. It is that he is teaching
something very important, and he's going to use children as a way to teach
it. First, be converted and become as little children, and then ye
shall and if you don't, if you don't, ye shall not enter into
the Kingdom of heaven. Wherefore whosoever therefore shall humble himself. So you hear
the other principle number one, be converted, that is, to surrender your
will to God. Yes, and allow His Holy Spirit to live in your
life. Yes. And now humble yourself as a little child. So the
ideal character trait that Jesus is focusing in on with these children in air quotes
is conversion humility. Okay, as a little child. As a little child,
ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. Who shall therefore humble
himself as this little child the same as the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
And who shall receive one such child in My name? Receiveth me take
heed that she despised, not one of these little ones. For I say
unto you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father,
which is in heaven. These angels do what they are in the presence
of God the Father. They are having meetings with God the Father. They
are reporting what happens on planet Earth. And so God forbid if you are
abusing your child or someone else's children, or whatever, if you are doing
anything that is not right, if you are barring or banning children from connecting
with God. God is saying that there are Jules who excel in strength,
who see and experience all of that and then take that reality back to God
the Father. Not that God doesn't know, but that's how they do it,
right, and they are in His presence, And yeah, well you're
gonna have to answer for that. The Bible continues in Mark chapter ten in
the same vein basically to allow and to actually encourage and us your children into
the presence of God. Let them go into God's presence so that they can
be saved, and so advice to children. Advice to children could be seeing
this way, obey your parents in line with Godly teachings, for this is
right and it comes with blessings. Here are some other guidance points from what
we read right Strive to stay or remain humble, bull and remain pure sincere
in heart like quote the ideal Child yep. Number three. Remember that you
are valued and loved by God and that you have a special place in the
Kingdom of Heaven. God is wanting children everywhere. All of us have been
children at some point, so don't feel left out like God wants us to
know from a very early age that you are valued, loved by God,
and that you have a special place in the heart of God and of course
in the kingdom of heaven. Don't make this guidance all heavy. God is
saying he loves children and he wants us to live like they. Thanks for
joining us listening to friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been
your daily portion with l David Harris. Make it a great day.