Monday, November 11, 2013

As this little child

The greatest- the least.

This is a concept we don't quite fully comprehend, do we?  It's contradictory. The greatest cannot be the least it's an impossibility. 

Mat 23:11  But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Again, the greatest, a servant?!

Somewhere we all got this twisted up and backwards didn't we?

Those who are great have servants.
Those who are great are far from the least.

Those two things are what we believe to be true, but they're not true according to our Savior Jesus Christ.  The greatest among people here on earth were to be the least, to be servants.

The greatest in the kingdom of heaven...

Mat 18:1  At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
Mat 18:2  And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
Mat 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

These verses bear a bit of discussion…

First, Jesus says EXCEPT you are converted, EXCEPT you become as little children, you SHALL NOT enter the kingdom.

Do you see, the Disciples asked a question, they asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, but Jesus didn't just tell them the answer. He first told them there was a possibility they wouldn't even enter the kingdom.  Just imagine hearing that as you're waiting for a reply to your question. 

Except you are converted from your adulthood and become as a little child, you're NOT getting into Heaven.

Converted to a child.

We spend all our childhood being told to grow up, and then here you are grown up and you're being told to be like a child.  What defines being a child?  Jesus went on to say- 'Whosever therefore shall humble himself as this little child- the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.' 

Does humbleness define a child?  Nowadays you'd be hard pressed to say that it does, wouldn't you? A lot of children are defiant and victims of their upbringings, society, and the times we live in.  Still, a lot of children keep their innocent inquiries, don't they? They keep a certain innocence about them till they're around seven or eight.

We don't know how old the child was that Jesus held, but the child was old enough to listen to Jesus and come to Him when he was called. 

Humble like a child.  What makes a child humble? Their innocence, their eagerness to learn because there is so much they don't know? Their ability to love just because you are there for them to love you? Their total dependability on you for all their needs?

Our Savior wants us to totally depend upon Him for all our needs, He wants to be looked to for everything. We need to recognize our need of total dependence upon Christ, and no dependence upon ourselves. In a world that stresses independence Christ stresses dependence. We will NEVER be too old to depend totally upon Christ, never! Like a child, because we ARE CHILDREN of the KING.  We are CHILDREN! CHILDREN!  And even while we are to move from milk to solid food, even young children have that experience- weaning doesn't mean grown up, weaning means going from infancy, from toddling, to being a child, then from child to preteen, then teenager and then adult. There is a progression of aging and we are forever children with our Heavenly Father, forever our Father.  We will truly only enter the Kingdom of Heaven by being like that little child sitting upon Jesus' lap.  That total dependence upon another to supply everything for us- food, clothing, a home, love. Someone to teach us all we need to know about life. And Christ will teach us all we need to know about eternal life.

Please, LORD, we would be Your children! We would enter the kingdom of heaven to be with You for eternity!  Please, LORD, teach us all we need to know, we trust that you and you alone will be our way to the Kingdom! Through YOUR LOVE, YOUR MERCY, YOUR FORGIVENESS! All through YOU!


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