CHILDLIKE

Matthew 18:1-4    

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying. “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:1-4, NKJV

As I read these scriptures, I really began to think about what it means to become like a child. What qualities do children possess that adults do not? The first one that came to my mind was trust.

While I realize there may have been many more whom our Savior was referring to, trust seemed really important to me. Little children trust the adults in their life completely. They have complete confidence that they will be fed, clothed, cared for if they get hurt, and that parent will be there whenever they are needed.

How much simpler would our lives be if we would give our heavenly Father this same trust? After all, can't we have complete confidence in Him? Can't we trust that He will supply our every need?

What does this mean for us? I've said it before, and I'll say it again: total dependence is a hard one for me. But if we want to enter the kingdom, we have to become children. One of those qualities is total dependence on our heavenly Father. Trust that we will be fed, clothed, cared for, and He will always be there when we need Him.

Most of us want to know our life counts beyond the here and now. Jesus' closest followers wanted to know more than that; they wanted to be the greatest in His kingdom. Jesus constantly turns our ideas of power and influence upside down.

Jesus tells us we must take the posture of children to enter God's kingdom and that our humility will ultimately impact our influence!!! Take a few minutes to ask God to show you how to take the posture of a child as you seek to know and follow Him!!!

Father, thank You for this day and Your amazing grace and mercy. Lord, open the floodgates of heaven and rain down your abundant blessings upon us and our family today. Lord, help us to become as a child. Lord, help us to put all our trust in You. Gracious Lord, our pride gets in the way. Lord, we are as challenged today by the image of Your holding a child before us as Your disciples were back then. Lord, teach us the difference between childlike and childish, and teach us anew what is Conversations with God most important in our lives. Lord, use us to be a light of Your love to all we meet today.

Father, we love You. Amen.