And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child….And the Lord came and stood, and called as at other times. Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak, for thy servant heareth. I Samuel 3:8b, 10

And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight this Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:32

If you've been to any church dinners lately, you know that children usually eat first. The little tots just jump right to the head of the line. That wasn't the case when I was a kid. One of the popular country songs back then was "Take An Old Cold Tater And Wait." And the one doing the waiting wasn't dear old Dad, but Junior. Then there was "Pass The Biscuits, Please," another lament by a youngster who was always last in line when the bread went around the table. Today it's "Let the kids go first," and the old folks bring up the rear.

Jesus' disciples didn't want their Master to be disturbed by the children, who had far less status in that society than they do in ours. To Jesus, though, they were far from a bother. He saw in them a trusting, unquestioning acceptance he rarely saw in adults. It is that same kind of faith and innocence, he said, that we must have when we come to the Father. Salvation does not come without faith, and faith does not come to a cynical mind that insists that everything be seen before it can be believed.

That was the kind of faith young David had when he went out to face Goliath. It was the kind of faith young Samuel had when he heard the voice of God calling to him. It's the same kind of faith that draws young children to Christ even now. It is no accident that the vast majority of Christians are saved before they reach adulthood. As we grow older we almost inevitably lose the quality of innocence, and the capacity to believe in what we cannot see.

I was just shy of thirteen when I accepted Christ as my savior. Many, many children are saved at a much younger age, even four or five years old. Age itself is not so much the deciding factor as the degree of understanding the child has. I know from the testimony of some people that they feel they really had no understanding of what they were doing when they came forward for salvation at a very young age. Others go on through adulthood without the least doubt of their salvation at five or six. The people in the best position to tell how much the child really understands are his or her parents. Sometimes they want so much for their child to be saved they unconsciously lead the youngster along. The child responds because doing so obviously pleases Mommy and Daddy very much. Sometimes, too, a child has a friend, or friends, maybe a sibling, who is saved, and he or she doesn't want to be left out.

Again, age in and of itself is not the primary consideration. We should take the time to ask questions. If Tommy or Suzy understands what sin is, and realizes he or she is a sinner, that's a large part of the battle. The child still, though, must know what the consequences of sin are, and how Christ provides the remedy. One of the things I appreciate about my former pastor is that he always wants to be certain that both he and the child's parents are confident that the child understands the decision they've made. Many young people were saved at First Baptist Church during the time I was there, and some were barely out of kindergarten.

Just as we need to take special care when a child professes Christ, we must also be careful to nurture them in their faith. That means making sure they're receiving sound instruction in the Scriptures in Sunday School and at home. We should ask questions regularly, meaning every week, about what they've learned. By the same token, we should always be prepared to answer questions; some of them will be hard ones. Being innocent, the very young will accept whatever answer we give as gospel, so we need to be careful both of what we say and of how the child understands our words.

No matter what we say, our loudest message comes from the life we live. If we teach our children to be honest and fair, then proceed to lie and cheat, even in small things, they'll get the message. We can't teach them they should love, then act in a very unlovely way in and outside of our homes. If we do, we shouldn't be surprised if they don't show love in their own lives when they get older. Little wonder that many children who grow up in Christian homes adopt the cynical view that all Christians are hypocrites.

We can best take care of our children, as Christian parents, by showing them what being a Christian really means. It doesn't mean perfection, but it does mean a consistent witness, inside church and out. If we expect our child to want a Christian marriage, they should have us as models. One of the great regrets of my life as a Christian is that I haven't been the kind of father and husband I should have been, so many times. Even when our children are grown, though, and even if we've messed things up royally, we can still live Christian lives in front of them. That should never change, no matter how old they are. For those of you who have young children, you have the chance to avoid a lot of the mistakes some of us older parents, maybe even your own, have made. There's only one real rule for any Christian home: Let Christ be the center, always and in everything. There is no better childcare.

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JESUS IS the Bridge Ministries

Beneath His Wings Devotionals - Vol. 2