Faith; A Gift

# 578 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 10:13,14 “Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.”

This dilemma of the church has been with us for a long time and it continues today. The controversy settles around the issue of faith. “Why bother the Master with little children, ( the word children here is used elsewhere in Scripture for little babes and sucklings.) After all these children are such that they cannot possibly understand faith, or express it, therefore they can't have faith.

This is a trap folks. Don't fall for it, lest you think that faith is something that requires a conscious decision on your part. If that's the case, what do we do with those who never develop the faculties to express faith? What do we do with the Alzheimers victim whose faculties are lost? What do we do with the comatose? What do we do when we fall asleep at night? Park our faith in a garage somewhere?

Remember, we are “saved by grace through faith and that NOT OF OURSELVES IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD! And it must be that way for just as a physically dead person cannot revive themselves, so it is with the spiritually dead. God brings faith to us through His means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments.

It is God-given faith that opens the door for us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and turn us from stubborn people who resist God into willing people who desire to cooperate with the Holy Spirit according to the measure of faith God has given us.

Don't try to reason this out, rather believe the Word of God which says, Ps 22:9b,10, “ You made Me trust while on My mother's breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb You have been My God.”

Little children are capable of receiving faith, and God has chosen to use baptism as His vehicle to deliver it.
Ac 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

“What part of “let every one of you be baptized,” and “the promise is to you and your children,” do we fail to understand?

Father, thank You for the gift of faith. Let us not try to figure it out, rather let us just be thankful for the gift.