Recently, I had the joy of spending a few minutes with a group of children who have given and prayed for our upcoming gospel work in India. What an encouragement to be with boys and girls and see the excitement about life and the Lord on their faces!

As I travel the Lord has often used a child to minister to me. “Out of the mouth of babes” God often speaks encouragement. I have a file of notes and drawings made by children in so many places. They are truly the Lord’s messengers to us.

And what is our message to them?

In the formative years, the tender time of life, children’s hearts are so open to the truth. Hungry for God and the love and life only He can bring. We must not miss our opportunity!

Jesus loved children. The most important Person that ever lived believed that children were the most important ones among us. A young man named Mark records for us Jesus actions and attitudes when it came to children…

“And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me” (Mark 9:36-37).

• Jesus was open to children, and He desires us to be the same.

“And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hung about his neck, and he were cast into the sea” (Mark 9:42).

• Jesus was protective of children, and He commanded us to do the same.

“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto the, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:13-16).

• Jesus blessed little children, and He wants to use us to do the same.

The old song is true – Jesus does love the little children, all the children of the world. In George MacDonald’s Unspoken Sermons, he wrote about “The Child In the Midst.” In that chapter he observed that God loves children so much that He revealed Himself as Father. Childhood is to be a revelation of the love relationship our God desires with mankind. Do our children see the love of the Heavenly Father in us?

D.L. Moody said at the end of his life that if he had it all to do over again, he would give it all to working with children. I began in the Lord’s work reaching children on a Sunday School bus and teaching children in a Bible class. After all these years I still believe it is one of the greatest privileges we are given.

May God help us all to love the little ones like our Lord!