O’FALLON, Ill. (BP) — Few things move a man emotionally like grandchildren. We do things for those little rascals that we never thought of doing with our own children. “Oh, you want a cookie before supper? Sure, have two!”
And few things can move a Christian man more than the salvation of those little tykes.
Our oldest grandson is 7 years old. I started praying for him (and the rest of the grands) before he was ever born. I prayed that he would come to know the Lord as his Savior and that he would follow him as Lord. I had been burdened to pray for this oldest one especially for the last few months.
To our great joy, he recently repented of his sins and trusted Jesus as his Savior. It was so real and so moving and so amazing. And, to top it off, he decided to follow in believer’s baptism on Easter Sunday morning.
Easter Sunday is a busy and exciting day for his grandfather/pastor. I preached my usual three Sunday morning sermons to unusually large crowds. That day we baptized 16 people from young boys like my grandson to an 80-year-old man. The day was full and busy and loud and wonderful.
But in the midst of the busy schedule was this incredibly personal and special moment. I baptized my grandson. The water was freezing cold (of course the heating element goes out on Easter Sunday morning!) and my morning was filled to the brim. But what a special moment.
I love to see people come to know the Lord. I love baptisms. Every new follower of Jesus is special. But this personal connection with my young grandson — well, that just makes grace even more amazing to me than it already is.
Even so, God loves people more than we love our grandchildren. The rejoicing in heaven over one who repents is deeper than any grandparent is capable of in this world. The adoption into God’s family that takes place when one is saved beats even the entry of a grandchild into your family.
Let’s remind ourselves of how much salvation means. Let’s see the Gospel as glorious once again. Let’s delight to see people find new life in Christ even more than we rejoice in the accomplishments of those precious grandbabies. And let’s be steadfast in praying for the next generation.
