You can listen to a podcast of this post here.
One day as a little girl and her mom were lying on the bed chatting, the youngster turned to her mom and asked,
“Mom, is God even in the cracks between the bed and the wall?”
Her mom said, “God is everywhere.”
“Can I talk to Him any time? she asked.
“Sure!” her mom replied.
The little girl turned her head away from her mom and towards the wall. A few minutes later, hen she turned back to her mother and said,
“God said He loves me.”
It wasn’t too long after that day that this little girl came to her mommy and told her that she wanted Jesus to come into her heart and be her Savior. That wise mother asked her daughter a few questions to determine if she understood what this decision meant, and guess what? She did! On that day this little one became a child of God when she received Jesus into her life.
This step of faith in Christ was easy for this child, even though she was only 3 1/2! She had been listening to the Gospel story since the day of her birth, and she knew enough to know she was a sinner in need of a Savior.
Sadly, many adults get really hung up on a child coming to Christ for salvation “too early.” But what does God’s Word say about this? Mark 10:13-16 –
And they brought young children to Him, that He should touch them; and His disciples rebuked those who brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased and said unto them, “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God.
15 Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.”
16 And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.
Jesus warned the crowd not to be like the disciples in keeping the children from coming to Jesus. Whenever a person steps in front of a child and hinders them from coming to Jesus, He is “much displeased” with them, as He was the disciples.
If a child is really young, how can we know that they are earnest and truly making this choice based on the knowledge that they are a sinner and that Jesus died for them? Take the example in this post and ask questions. Certainly, it is a decision that should be taken seriously, but we need to realize that they don’t have to know everything at this point. (Keep reading for more answers to this)
Often when we have an older person saved in a service we have a huge time of rejoicing, which is definitely worthy of joy to see this heart finally yielded to Christ! But when a little child gets saved, it’s often given a little nod. Why should we encourage a child who is asking to be saved to make that decision now? Let me share an illustration that I pray will demonstrate the power of a young life sold out to Christ.
Think of two taper candles, one very long and the other much shorter. One represents an old woman and the other a young child. Which one do you think stands for the elderly lady and which one is the little girl?
The long candle represents the child and the short candle stands for an elderly woman. You see, the older person only has a little time left to “burn” for Christ. The child, however, has their whole life in which to make a difference for the Lord in this world! That reason in itself should make us realize the urgency in bringing little ones to the Savior!
I was an 8 year-old when I came to Christ and I certainly had much to still learn about the doctrine behind my decision. But there were four things I clearly understood that brought me to a readiness to be saved ~
- I knew I was a sinner. Romans 3:23
- I knew I would not go to heaven because of my sin. Isa. 59:2
- I knew Jesus loved me enough that He took my punishment on the cross. I Peter 3:18
- I knew all I had to do to receive salvation was accept it as a free gift. Romans 10:9
After the day I accepted Jesus, I NEVER doubted that He saved me. I knew He would keep His promise! John 10:28
One pastor put it this way –
Often when a child talks to us about salvation, we ask them adult questions that they cannot answer. Then when an adult talks about being saved, we tell them to have child-like faith!
Common Questions we ask about a child being saved:
- What if they’re not ready? Don’t push them. Ask them questions. Pray for them and with them.
- What if they don’t really understand? Again, ask questions. Example…
Have you ever sinned? What is sin? Why is sin a problem? What did God do about our sin? What do we need to do to receive Jesus as our Savior?
Their answers to these simple questions will be clear indicators. If they deny EVER sinning, or think they can “be a good girl” and receive salvation, they need more Bible answers.
There’s one more question that seems to be a biggie for adults…
- What if they doubt their salvation later in life? This question will be answered next Wednesday as we continue this discussion. Be sure to check back!
This subject matter is close to the heart of Jesus because He died for all – including the little children, and He made the plan of salvation so simple that even a child could understand. So why should we make it difficult for those little ones to come to Him? As in the opening story, Jesus is whispering this truth in their hearts. He is saying ~
I love you.
Are there other questions you have about this important topic?
Did you come to Christ when you were young?
RefreshHer 