Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14You have probably heard of the sitcom Two And A Half Men. I can’t say that I’ve ever watched it. I do know that it stars Charlie Sheen. Or did. It seems like everybody and his brother knows about ole’ Charlie these days. In a bad way. The show must be pretty popular. It’s been on the air since 2003. Well, the theme of this post has nothing to do with that!
In the late 1800's, D. L. Moody was the premier evangelist of our country. He was the Billy Graham of his day. He held countless crusades. Tens of thousands were converted. Many lives were changed. One night after Moody returned from a service where he had preached a friend asked him, “How many converts did you have tonight?” Moody responded, “Two and a half.” The friend replied, “I suppose you mean two grownups and a child?” “No,” said Moody, “Two children and a grownup.” “How do you make that out to be two and a half?” “Well, you see,” replied Moody, “The two children have a whole life before them, but a grownup person has only a half a life before him.” What an observation!
This really underscores the value of children. Moody was right in that children have their whole lives before them. They are like a blank canvas that is waiting to be drawn upon. What will be drawn is the question. Will it be a masterpiece? Something that inspires others? Will it be an average painting? Run of the mill. Or will it be a below-average composition? Something that gets thrown away? This is why ministry to children is so important. Their whole lives are literally ahead of them. The sooner they give themselves to Jesus, the more liberty He has to make them into a masterpiece. A thing of beauty. Something that will reflect His glory.
It is during childhood that much of our personality, character, worldview and feelings about ourselves are formed. With bad habits such as smoking, drugs, swearing, and pornography starting much younger it is imperative that we reach children with the Gospel early. They need to attend church right from birth. They need to be exposed to prayer and the Bible at an early age. They need to learn the great stories of the Bible. And the wonderful Christian children’s choruses. They need to feel the warmth of a loving God who cares deeply for children. They need to have parents who place a high priority on spiritual formation. And a church that has that same priority as well.
In 1865, William Ross Wallace wrote his famous poem, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. Over the years it has given rise to the saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” This is so true. The battle is for the souls of children. They are the future of our world. They are the future of the church. Whoever can reach children has a great opportunity to shape the future of the world.
So, let’s do our best to be involved in the lives of children. To lead them to Jesus. To disciple them. To raise them in the knowledge and ways of the Lord. To pray for them. To love them. To be an encouragement to parents with children. To be involved in children’s ministries. To be role models. If we will do this, our world will be a better place. And someday these children will look back on us with reverence, respect and thankfulness to God.
Lord, I thank you for children. Their enthusiasm. Their laughter. Their innocence. I pray that You will help me to do all that I can to see them come to You. And be raised in Your ways. And make a difference for You in the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
In the late 1800's, D. L. Moody was the premier evangelist of our country. He was the Billy Graham of his day. He held countless crusades. Tens of thousands were converted. Many lives were changed. One night after Moody returned from a service where he had preached a friend asked him, “How many converts did you have tonight?” Moody responded, “Two and a half.” The friend replied, “I suppose you mean two grownups and a child?” “No,” said Moody, “Two children and a grownup.” “How do you make that out to be two and a half?” “Well, you see,” replied Moody, “The two children have a whole life before them, but a grownup person has only a half a life before him.” What an observation!
This really underscores the value of children. Moody was right in that children have their whole lives before them. They are like a blank canvas that is waiting to be drawn upon. What will be drawn is the question. Will it be a masterpiece? Something that inspires others? Will it be an average painting? Run of the mill. Or will it be a below-average composition? Something that gets thrown away? This is why ministry to children is so important. Their whole lives are literally ahead of them. The sooner they give themselves to Jesus, the more liberty He has to make them into a masterpiece. A thing of beauty. Something that will reflect His glory.
It is during childhood that much of our personality, character, worldview and feelings about ourselves are formed. With bad habits such as smoking, drugs, swearing, and pornography starting much younger it is imperative that we reach children with the Gospel early. They need to attend church right from birth. They need to be exposed to prayer and the Bible at an early age. They need to learn the great stories of the Bible. And the wonderful Christian children’s choruses. They need to feel the warmth of a loving God who cares deeply for children. They need to have parents who place a high priority on spiritual formation. And a church that has that same priority as well.
In 1865, William Ross Wallace wrote his famous poem, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. Over the years it has given rise to the saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” This is so true. The battle is for the souls of children. They are the future of our world. They are the future of the church. Whoever can reach children has a great opportunity to shape the future of the world.
So, let’s do our best to be involved in the lives of children. To lead them to Jesus. To disciple them. To raise them in the knowledge and ways of the Lord. To pray for them. To love them. To be an encouragement to parents with children. To be involved in children’s ministries. To be role models. If we will do this, our world will be a better place. And someday these children will look back on us with reverence, respect and thankfulness to God.
Lord, I thank you for children. Their enthusiasm. Their laughter. Their innocence. I pray that You will help me to do all that I can to see them come to You. And be raised in Your ways. And make a difference for You in the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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