(Reading: Matthew 18)
Matthew 18.3 And
he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. – Jesus
This chapter of Matthew is filled with some very specific
instructions, and a few warnings as well. Jesus’ tone, as teacher and Lord, is
a bit sterner in my view. But can we blame Him – these people had 15 centuries
of culture to overcome and Jesus had to give them unfiltered truth.
When the question arose amongst His disciples as to greatness in the Kingdom, He was quick to quell the trash-talking by having a small child
stand before them and He said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become
like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” I can
imagine the looks on the faces of these men as they considered what their Lord
just told them… I see the look on my
face.
When we are told something, perhaps as a rebuke, we must
be careful that we are to learn from what we are told, not to identify with
what we are told. Jesus told His disciples, “… unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven.” He didn’t call them children; He didn’t insult
them; He simply told them there was a different way and that hierarchy in
Heaven, was not as it is on earth.
Jesus told His men, if
it’s status you want, you must change how you see yourselves: as dependent, trusting
children before God. God has enough experts; He’s looking for the humble
and dependent – kinda like kids who don’t know where pancakes come from, they
only know as they ask for more, someone will supply. Children aren’t looking
for expertise; they need someone to meet
their needs.
In these days of change, I accept where I am in life
more than I used to. Life is changing and has changed. And it will continue to
change. The Only One who will see me through is God Almighty. In these days, my
currency counts for much less than I
once thought. There are others more suited to A,B, or C; or, X, Y, or Z. My
takeaway this morning: Paul become more childlike because, unless you do, you’ll
find God’s freeing Kingdom, burdensome.
Life is change, and continues to be so. Will I change
with it, or will I stubbornly cling to the visage I have of how things used to
be? I am called to become like a dependent child, looking to Another to meet my
needs. Can I/will I change my perception of myself before God and trust in Him?
Father in Heaven, work
in me today to see life as You see it, not how I think it should be. I pray for
the courage and determination to become like a little boy in humble dependence upon
You. Unquestioning. Dependent. Needy. It is only as I change and see myself as
You do, that I am set free… Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment