Life       The importance of children to God is expressed in Psalm 127:3 which states, “Truly children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.”  It is a privilege to take care of a child.  God loved His children, us, so much that he was willing to sacrifice His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die a brutal death on a cross for us so we could know God and go to heaven.         Since the beginning, life was God’s most precious creation.  Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.”  Genesis 2:7 states, “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” God created man in His own image, formed man with His own hands, and breathed life into man with his own breath.  Even when man sinned against Him, God still loved His creation enough to not wipe out the whole population.  Instead, He saved mankind by warning Noah ahead of time to build an ark to float through the flood.  God loves life and does not desire to have it stolen away from a defenseless being.         Genesis 1:28 states, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it.’”  It is God’s command for us to have kids, and to fill the earth with the life of humans.   Even though we humans sin against God over and over again, He’s always ready to forgive us because He loves us more than anything else that He made.  It is a gift to be able to have kids, and that gift should not be thrown away in the garbage as an inconvenience.  Children have a right to see the world.  Children have a right to live and breathe.   Just because they can not talk does not mean they are not living.  Just because they have not taken a breath yet does not mean they are not living.  It is devastating to God to see life carelessly thrown away as an inconvenience.   When God created the world, He saved the best for last.  He invented the human race as His most special form of life.  Humans also have the right to hear God’s Word, the Bible, and choose between Heaven and Hell.  Every time someone dies without knowing Him, God grieves and we can only guess that He grieves all the more when that someone is a partially born baby.  Even if His love is not returned, God still loves them because He made us to love Him.         The Bible states in Exodus 20:13 that you shall not murder.  The dictionary defines murder as the crime of killing another person deliberately and not in self-defense or with any other extenuating circumstance recognized by law.   Abortion is murder.  Children are given as a celestial present from God Himself.  Not many people throw away a present with their name on it before it has been opened.         Raising a child is a character building experience that God can use to teach many or all of the fruits of the spirit.   Who would not want love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?   Mark 10:14 says, “’Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’”  God loves children.         Thomas Edison was mentally challenged in his early years, but through perseverance and lots of careful one-on- one study time, he learned at home.  His parents did not give him up as a hopeless kid.  They stuck with him and he ended up being the world’s greatest inventor.  Glen Cunningham’s legs were crippled in a fire, but his parents did not give him up as a lifetime cripple.  His parents stuck with him and they massaged his legs for long hours in a row.  He slowly regained his ability to walk, first with crutches, and then by himself.  He turned out to be one of the world’s greatest runners.  You never know what you may be keeping from achievement on a, perhaps, world scale if you take away a life before it has a chance to prove itself.  Everyone should have a fair chance to make something of themselves.  Even if it looks like nothing good could come of them, you never know what potential you are stealing from the good of mankind.         God loves life.  God loves every life no matter how big or small, shy or bold.  He loves everyone even if they don’t love Him.  There is no reason to not return this passionate love.  There is no reason to deny anyone the opportunity to experience a relationship with God.  Abortion is not the answer. All Bible quotes are used from NIV version.