“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:1-5
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:1-5
Kids can be irritating. They can be noisy. They can be messy. If you've ever been in a restaurant with a rambunctious kid at the next table, you know exactly what I mean. If you have a younger sibling, you know even better.
Not only are they a firestorm of chaos and toys, they ask questions ALL THE TIME. Questions like “why?” five or six times in a row. Oddly enough, they'll trust the answers you give them. They just want to know more. Always.
Being grown men, it's likely Jesus' disciples knew a thing or two about kids. Chances are, they'd been kids before if nothing else. Knowing that they were likely to send kids away when the adults were talking (see Matt 19:13-14), Jesus' decision to bring in a little kid in as an example of what to do is really shocking.
But can you imagine what I would be like if we did accept God's Kingdom like little children? When He tells us He loves us we'd believe Him. We'd ask Him every question that popped into our heads fearlessly, and we'd take His answers at their word. We'd accept His gifts as gratefully and excitedly as a kid getting a birthday present from their mom or dad. We'd never pretend to know more than our Dad. May God give you the Spirit to do this today, and every day.
Challenge:
Find a way to become like a little child, and put it into practice.
Not only are they a firestorm of chaos and toys, they ask questions ALL THE TIME. Questions like “why?” five or six times in a row. Oddly enough, they'll trust the answers you give them. They just want to know more. Always.
Being grown men, it's likely Jesus' disciples knew a thing or two about kids. Chances are, they'd been kids before if nothing else. Knowing that they were likely to send kids away when the adults were talking (see Matt 19:13-14), Jesus' decision to bring in a little kid in as an example of what to do is really shocking.
But can you imagine what I would be like if we did accept God's Kingdom like little children? When He tells us He loves us we'd believe Him. We'd ask Him every question that popped into our heads fearlessly, and we'd take His answers at their word. We'd accept His gifts as gratefully and excitedly as a kid getting a birthday present from their mom or dad. We'd never pretend to know more than our Dad. May God give you the Spirit to do this today, and every day.
Challenge:
Find a way to become like a little child, and put it into practice.
