EULESS, Texas (BP)–When I think about children, I am reminded of their curiosity and their inquisitive nature. And children are naturally curious about Jesus and God. One man compiled children’s questions about God in a book titled, “Dear Pastor.” Listen to some of the questions that Bill Adler recounts children asking:
Arnold, age 8, wrote, “Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister.”
Carla wrote, “Dear Pastor, are there any devils on earth? I think there may be one in my class.”
A 10-year-old from Fort Wayne wrote, “Dear Pastor, if God gives everybody brains I think He forgot about my best friend, Mary.”
Kids are naturally curious about the Lord. They can’t help it. And with good reason, too. I am convinced that children naturally love God.
Now, some of you may be thinking, “You’ve never seen my child on the way to church!” Well, this may be true, but I am still convinced that children love God and are sensitive to Him. And equally important for any parent to realize is this truth: God loves children … regardless of how they act on the way to church! You see, one of the first songs that I ever learned states it so simply, “Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white; they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” What life-changing words!
Jesus loves our children. He is the ultimate family man who is concerned about the welfare of our kids. I know this because I have seen Him make an impact on my four sons and touch our family with His goodness. I know that He will do the same for you because the Bible tells us as much.
When we see Jesus in the Book of Mark, Jesus commands His disciples, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the Kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). I love these words because of their powerful simplicity: Jesus loves the little children, so get your kids to Jesus. In His command, Jesus tells His followers, “Hey, you guys, don’t you dare prevent those kids from coming to me! Let them through!” Here, Jesus forever reveals His heart for children. He wants to touch our kids’ lives. So we need to get our kids to Him!
But you might ask, “HOW? How can we get our children to Jesus?” The first thing that I would say is be an example. One great leader, Charles Spurgeon, once said, “… the force of example, whether for good or bad, is very powerful, and especially is it so with parents upon their children….” (Spurgeon, Treasury, Vol. V, p.528). How true. In fact, the Book of Deuteronomy bestows parents the responsibility of being a powerful example to their children and revealing to them God’s goodness (Deut. 4:9-10; 6:7). So, we get our children to Jesus by being an example to them and showing them what it means to serve the Lord.
Second, pray for your kids. Prayer is the lifeline of hope, comfort, release and peace for all parents.
Third, take your kids to church. This is important because at church they will be exposed to Christ through teachings about Him, through songs and music about Him, and through leaders who know Him. Parents, give your whole heart to getting your children to Jesus. He loves your child and wants the very best for your child!
And what will Jesus do for our kids? The same thing that He did with those kids on that day: Jesus blesses our children. See how Mark describes what happened: “[the parents] brought little children to Him, that He might touch them…. And He [Jesus] took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:13, 16).
Note, first, that Jesus took them up in His arms. Can you get the picture? This strong, popular, young rabbi took the children in His arms. He lifted them up. Then He laid His hands on them. There was something special and powerful about the touch of Jesus. And finally, He blessed them with a powerful and positive word! I wonder what happened to those kids after that day.
Let’s get our kids to Jesus and allow Him to touch the hearts of our children. I want to encourage parents with this truth: Those who have been touched by Jesus know one touch from Him can do more than a lifetime of anything else!
–30–
For more information or resources from Claude Thomas, visit www.LifePoints.org. Thomas is pastor of First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
