Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Matthew 22:37-38 “Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment”

My daughter Stephanie and her husband Daniel are missionaries and Pastors in Peru. Each summer they, along with our granddaughters Madeline and Macy, came up from to Peru to visit us. Madeline and Macy are now at their teenage and young adult years  but when they were younger, the second they saw us at the airport, they started jumping up and down with excitement and then ran to us and jumped into our arms. Madeline looked at me tenderly and solemnly and said, Papa, I really, really missed you. I wish we could live here. She then hugged me and kissed me. She melted my heart the way only little granddaughters can do.

When their vacation was over and they were ready to head back to Peru, I looked up at Macy and said, Macy, I am going to miss you and I’ll be sad when you’re gone. What am I going to do without you? She looked at me, hugged me, patted me on the back and said, Don’t worry papa, you’ll be alright. I’ll be back soon. She then gave me a big hug and said, I love you papa. There was a lot of heart-melting going on!

There are many things that are precious and have great value, but I don’t think there is anything more precious than the honesty, innocence, and love of little children.

As Jesus was getting ready to die, He began to prepare His disciples by warning them He would soon be leaving them. I am sure He was tender with them. As He was beginning to share about His leaving them, He called them “little children.” There are moments in all of our lives when what face, reduces us to feeling like little children. He said to them “Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me… Where I am going, you cannot come….” (John 13:33 NKJV)

I remember those times when my  children were so little, innocent, pure, and tender. They would run into my arms when I came home from work, hug me as tight as they could, and tell me they loved me. My heart would turn to putty.

Do you think you could ever come to God like a little child? Could you get quiet and think about the magnitude of God’s love toward you. Could you think about His awesome power and the demonstration of His love to you through Jesus? Could you think about the multitude of promises He has made to you? Could you come to Him like a little child with no agenda except to wrap your arms around Him (in your heart) and just spend time like a little child telling Him you love Him and letting that be all the moment is about?

Do you think those kinds of moments are precious to Him? I think so!
Matthew 19:14-15 NLT gives us insight. “But Jesus said, “Let the children come to Me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” And He put His hands on their heads and blessed them before He left.”   

Maybe you’d feel awkward coming to the Lord in a quiet place and expressing your love like this. If you do, isn’t that the point? Little children don’t feel awkward. Maybe God doesn’t want us to either. Maybe He wants those kinds of moments with us! Psalm 86:12-13 NLT says, “With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death!”

Maybe these kinds of moments would teach us how to again become like little innocent children spilling pure love to Him. Think about how these kinds of moments would feel to Him.

Most often, when we pray, we spend time asking the Lord for needs, help, and protection. That isn’t wrong and He has instructed us to do that very thing. Yet at the same time, since He created little children and He tells us to come to Him as little children; you have to know that He loves when we spill with love toward Him like little children! Why don’t you crawl in His arms and declare your love to Him today. I believe they are the most precious of moments to Him!

Psalms 59:16 (NLT) “But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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