He called a little child and set him before them, and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Matthew 18:3 Trusting …
He called a little child and set him before them, and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3
Trusting
Trusting I had a job where I had to travel away to remote locations for weeks, leaving my wife, son, and daughter back at home for the period I was away. For some of these locations, I only had access to external communication at night, after my shift ended. One of these nights, speaking to my wife, she told me that my son’s bicycle had a fault and was unusable. She explained how she had told him how the bicycle was likely to injure him, if he continues trying to use it. My son had stepped away from the bike and said with confidence, “Daddy will fix it when he gets back from work”. I am typically very handy, and will resort to fixing things myself around the house. My son had watched me over time and knew that as long as it was something mechanical that required spanners and the likes, daddy will handle it.
Jesus Christ, in Matthew 18:3 said that unless we become like little children, we will never enter the Kingdom of God. God is our Father in every sense of it, and we must trust Him completely, the same way little children helplessly trust their earthly fathers. While children are little, before all the innocence gets stripped away as they age, an earthly, responsible and available father is trusted without caution. Such fathers give good gifts and are seen as heroes, a provider, by these little ones. Matthew 7:9-11 (NLT) says “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!“. Let us solely depend on God, both for His leading and His provision. Little children trust in the leading of their parents, doing everything they ask, without questions. So must we be with our Father. We must “trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NKJV).
As little children look up to and depend on their parents for provision, so must we be with our Father. Matthew 6:30-33 (MSG) says “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.“
As little children trust in the leading of their father, knowing he will not lead them into harm, we must also follow God’s dictates “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.“(Jeremiah 29:11 NLT). See God as your Father in all your affairs this year, and watch Him carry you into prepared places.
Humble
When my daughter started potty training, there were times when we would deliberately allow her walk around the house with no diapers on while fully clothed. Despite the occasional visits to the bathroom, there were times when she would allow herself go while standing by the coffee table for example, watching Storybots. On one of such days, she had done both the big and small ones on herself and just stood there, right in the living room, fully clothed. I walked in from outside and saw her, and in her excitement to see me, ran towards me, arms open wide. I picked her up with all delight, only to realize that there was a lot going on. Did I throw her away after realizing what had happened? No. Did I stop play biting her ears the way she likes it despite my nose screaming for relief? No. Did I stop making goofy noises despite realizing that my own clothes had gotten wet? No. I announced my arrival to my wife who was in the kitchen, while I continued making the little child laugh as we walked to the bathroom. Did she know she was soiled when she saw me? Of course. Did that stop her from walking towards me to carry her? No.
You are not perfect. You never were, you never can be. C.S Lewis’ popular book, The Screwtape Letters, references how the devil loves to hold God’s children down through guilt. The Accuser amplifies the failures of a man, placing guilt in his heart, and ultimately separating him from his God. The devil is a liar and has no truth in him. While you have the responsibility to grow, and lay aside every form of sin and weakness, like Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 12:1, you must also take advantage of the finished work of grace. You do not rely on your strength to stand in the face of temptation, you must trust in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Philippians 2:13 (AMP) says “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.“
Don’t rely on your discipline alone, rest in God’s power to deliver you, and He sure will. Remember, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV). You watch (your role) and you pray (for God’s strength) so you don’t fall into temptation, for the spirit is willing (to please the Lord) but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). Will you be tempted? Yes. Do everything you can not to fall.
We are men, and sometimes we fail. Do we then cower away in guilt? No. That is exactly where the devil wants us. Just like my daughter came boldly to me, despite the mess, we must approach the throne of our gracious God to obtain mercy, and find grace to help us (Hebrews 4:16). If we confess our sins, He is able to forgive us ( John 1:9 )
Forgiving
Little children have very innocent hearts, not holding on to grudges against a fellow. One minute, two kids might be fighting with one another over a ball, and the next minute, they are holding hands and laughing around like nothing ever happened between them. One of the criteria for forgiveness that Jesus Christ talked about was the fact that you must forgive for your own sins to be forgiven. Matthew 6: 14 – 15 says “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins“. This year and beyond, hold no offenses to heart. Forgive quickly, move on fast. In life, offense will come. It is as certain as breathing air that people will step on your toes, take advantage of you, insult you, and do things that give you all legitimate reason to not forgive their wrongdoings towards you. It is imperative that you don’t take offense. Instead, despite the others’ rashness, follow Paul’s admonishing in Ephesians 4:31 and 32 (NLT); “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.“
In all you do, follow peace with all men.
