God has always worked through children, from Samuel and David to the boy with loaves and fish. Today 2 billion children exist, yet one-third have never heard about Jesus. Churches are beginning to prioritize children through new discipleship methods like sports, media, and robotics.
Chapters
Today is a special day. Today, more than 350,000 people will be born and 150,000 will die. Today, we'll hurtle another 2.5 million kilometers around the sun and eat enough rice to build the Great Pyramid of Giza 6 times. Today is special because of what God is doing in it. Ever since God created the very first day, he has been shaping history and unfolding a story so magnificent that all all people on earth need to hear it. His plan of seeking and saving the lost through Jesus unfolds through the entire Bible. Each day, the Old Testament pointed to the greatest event of all, the day when God rescued people. Through miracles and stories, Jesus gave glimpses of an upside-down kingdom that is unlike anything that people could imagine, a kingdom of humility, grace, generosity, and surprise. A kingdom where Jesus said, "You must be like a child to enter." If you look carefully at God's salvation history, God often chose young people to do his work. Samuel, as a child, heard God's voice when no one else was listening. Naaman's servant girl remembered that God was still at work despite the circumstances. David, a humble shepherd boy, became a great leader. And a boy whose name we don't even know saw what God could do with his 5 loaves and 2 fish. Becoming a follower of Jesus so often begins as a child or teenager. When the disciples struggled to understand the kingdom, Jesus explained it with a child. Today, 50% of all humans are young. Today is an extraordinary day. But for many, today is also a sad day. Today, more children will go hungry than ever before. More will be abused as slaves, laborers, and soldiers. Today, children are easy targets for advertisers and corporations. Many will struggle to get an education. And today, it's estimated that one-third of all children in the world have never heard about Jesus. But today, we are seeing God at work shaping children and shaping the world through them. Today, children are coming to Jesus across the world and learning how to follow him daily. In many places, children are arriving at church of their own accord, being prompted by God. 20 children in one country have Bibles because their 10-year-old friend believed it was the best gift he could give them. A former child soldier leads a new life because he met a pastor with a football. He now leads a church. Today, children are caring for others and their world. Street kids in one city prayed and marched together to advocate for justice. Government and businesses have responded. Over 100,000 children planted trees to care for their environment. Today, children are discovering Jesus as they learn skills for life. Children are being discipled as they are coached in sport, in media, technology, dressmaking, and even robotics. Today, Agencies and churches are partnering together and sharing resources more than ever before. Some denominations and agencies have made children a major focus for a year, for a decade, or even forever. More training strategies and resources for discipleship are spreading rapidly across the world. Each of these stories is a glimpse of real children and adults making a difference in shaping their world God's way. Children have always been a part of God's plan, but they haven't always been a big part of ours. Today, there are 2 billion children in the world. Children need to be a part of our plan today.
