“Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” – Matthew 18:14
…There are the multitudes of children who have been wholly deprived of the guidance of parents and the subduing influence of a Christian home. Let Christians open their hearts and homes to these helpless ones. The work that God has committed to them as an individual duty should not be turned over to some benevolent institution or left to the chances of the world’s charity. If the children have no relatives able to give them care, let the members of the church provide homes for them. He who made us ordained that we should be associated in families, and the child nature will develop best in the loving atmosphere of a Christian home. (1)
…Children are the property of God; they should be trained and educated and disciplined for the service of God in their earliest years, because they are His by creation and by redemption. The lessons of instruction from God’s Word are to be given them as the all-essential principles in the formation of a character for the future immortal life. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” [Proverbs 9:10], and as the children look to Jesus, receiving instruction from His Word, He receives them, and they become children of God. (2)
Many who have no children of their own could do a good work in caring for the children of others. Instead of giving attention to pets, lavishing affection upon dumb animals, let them give their attention to little children, whose characters they may fashion after the divine similitude. Place your love upon the homeless members of the human family. See how many of these children you can bring up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Many would thus be greatly benefited themselves. (3)
The first seven or ten years of a child’s life is the time when lasting impressions for good or for evil are made. What is education? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The child should be educated to receive the truth in the heart. It should be given instruction which will lead it to see what constitutes sin. It should be taught that all sin is an offense toward God. The heart should be carefully guarded; for by giving the life of His dear Son, God has purchased the soul of every child. He would have the precious life that has been redeemed by Jesus Christ, molded and fashioned after the similitude of a palace, that Christ may be enshrined as the king of the soul. (4)
Charge for the Day: Are there any children around you that you can take under your wing and mentor for the Lord?
1. The Ministry of Healing, p. 203
2. Manuscript 5, 1896
3. The Ministry of Healing, p. 203
4. Pamphlet 81, p. 13