Morning Devotional
March 12, 2003
“Out of the Mouth of Babes”
by Don Emmitte

Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! "How shall I describe this generation? These people are like a group of children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, ‘We played wedding songs, and you weren't happy, so we played funeral songs, but you weren't sad.' For John the Baptist didn't drink wine and he often fasted, and you say, `He's demon possessed.' And I, the Son of Man, feast and drink, and you say, `He's a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of the worst sort of sinners!' But wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it." Then Jesus began to denounce the cities where he had done most of his miracles, because they hadn't turned from their sins and turned to God. "What horrors await you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have sat in deep repentance long ago, clothed in sackcloth and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. I assure you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on the judgment day than you! And you people of Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in Sodom, it would still be here today. I assure you, Sodom will be better off on the judgment day than you." Then Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!”  (Matthew 11:15-26 NLV).

One of the more lovable men on TV is weatherman Al Roker on the "Today" show. I am sure you have noticed how much weight he has lost over the past year. In an interview some time ago, he said that he weighed in at over 300 pounds, at only 5' 8". The radical surgery he underwent was done after a lengthy process of examination. He had tried many diets and exercise programs over the years, but none of them seemed to work. I had wondered what had caused him to go through such extreme measures. When I heard the interview, I understood very clearly. It seems his daughter saw him without a shirt one day and remarked at how big he was. It was the kind of remark only a young child could get away with, in their innocence.

 The Bible has a wonderful story that emphasizes this truth (cf. Genesis 5). "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah." It says, "after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God." Enoch lived for the first 65 years of his life with no mention of a relationship with God. Then, suddenly, he starts walking with God, and continues to have this intimate relationship with his Creator for the rest of his life. What was the catalyst that changed Enoch? The same thing that changed Al, it was his child.

There is something about a child that makes you start thinking about yourself in ways you may not have thought before. They have a way of seeing the truth without any encumbrances. That’s the impact of the truth in our reading this morning. We need that kind of truth in our lives to measure ourselves. When we do, usually we consider looking to God, as we may have never done before. That brings us to a cry of "Help." The good news is that God stands ready to answer our cry for help. Let the simplicity of the Scripture show you the weight of your own self-centeredness, your unresolved issues, your dark side. In spite of your sin, God loves you and He wants to walk with you. The Bible says, "You who were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." It is so simple and yet so often overlooked!