Daily Devotional

Eight sons of Jesse passed by Samuel that day. Eliab was first in line; he was, what we call, the "tall, dark and handsome" son. He had a great countenance, but his heart was not where God wanted it to be. And so Samuel looked on each child, and the LORD said, "Not that one, Samuel." Eventually, the baby brother came, the little shepherd boy named David. He was a ruddy child, healthy, with a beautiful countenance. But, the fact that he was a shepherd boy made his dad think that he was not fit enough to be a king. But the LORD said, "Arise, and anoint him, for this is your next king."

The Word of God says that there is no respect of persons with God. He does not love you any more than He loves me. And He does not treat me any differently than He treats you. Yet, we so often show favouritism to children — whether our own or others. We love rewarding the handsome and cute kids over the not-so-handsome ones. We look at their intelligence and we say, "My boy, God has got big plans for your life." But when we look at the not-so- intelligent ones we exclaim, "I wish I knew what to do with you."

David writes, "Children are a heritage of the LORD, happy is the man that has a quiver full of them." Are you a happy father or a rejoicing mother? Children are a blessing from the LORD. Every child has a special anointing and a special gift built up within them. Even the unborn ones. They have lives from Day 1 that they are conceived in the womb, and even before that.

Today, I encourage you — rather than sowing seeds of destruction, rejection and hatred in childrens lives, love every child and cherish all of them the same. Psalm 139 says, "You created every part of me, you put me together in my mothers womb. When my bones were being formed, carefully put together, when I was growing there in secret, You knew that I was there — You saw me before I was born." God has a plan for every child — let us not rob them of that life.