Daily Devotional
Do You View Children as a Gift from God?
“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.”
Psalm 127:3
July 23, 2023
Ponder This
Children are not a penalty or a burden. Children are meant to be a blessing. Some people today have believed, “If you have children, they will cramp your style. And if you do have them, don’t have very many. And don’t let that keep you from fulfillment. Don’t let them keep you from your career and from being ‘somebody.’” Others have very selfish ideas about children. They say, “Well, you know, children are so expensive. If I have children, or if I have more than one or two, I might not be able to drive the kind of car I want to drive. It costs to educate them. I might not be able to live in the kind of house I want to live in. I’d be tied down. We wouldn’t be able to go to Hawaii on our vacation. Maybe it would be better not to have those children. They might be a burden. After all, children make a rich man poor.”
But this is backward. Children make a poor man rich. A rich man can’t take his money to Heaven. I’m taking all my children to Heaven with me. Children are the heritage of the Lord. They’re a gift of God. My heart goes out to people who want children and cannot have them. But for those who are able, you want to be blessed? Oh, children are a heartache. They’re a pain. They’re problems. Sure, they are—but they’re worth it. Children are the heritage of the Lord.
- Where might you have had wrong views about children?
- How can you encourage your children by telling them the ways in which they’ve blessed you? If you don’t have children of your own, who are some children you might encourage in this way?
Practice This
This week, take time to encourage a child by telling him or her how he or she has blessed you.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
