“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.” Matthew 18:3
Think for a minute about a young child. Kids don’t take thought for paying a mortgage. They don’t take thought for utility bills, and they don’t worry about groceries. They don’t worry or take thought about these things because they are standing fast in their parents’ provisions. This is exactly how Jesus said we are to be and He said that we have to be.
Through Christ we are converted into new creatures and through Christ we enter into our Father's rest. The power and freedom of our salvation empowers us to be as little children. Jesus allows us to dance like a child, to love to be around people like a child, to play like a child, and to be accepting like a child; this is the peace of Jesus that passes all understanding. My two kids and all the neighborhood kids have such a blast. They just come over, who cares if they are dirty and have on old clothes, there are boys and girls, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, and Indian, they laugh, they play, they rejoice, it’s awesome. And unless we are converted through Christ and become as these little children are, we shall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!
Look in the Gospels at how Jesus lived. He talked in riddles or parables. He loved to be around people: young and old, rich and poor, male and female, sick and well! Kids were around Jesus so much that the adults rebuked them and then Jesus rebuked the adults! Jesus’ earthly ministry was for the Jews, Gentiles were to receive it after His death, yet when He came upon a non-Jew who needed help, He helped them as well! Jesus loved to cause trouble by going against the establishment and His first miracle was turning water to wine at a party! When someone would trouble Jesus, He would moan or cry out, “how long do I have to be with you?” Jesus’ life kind of sounds like a child’s life doesn’t it?
When Beth and I first moved into our sub-division, we had moved in from the country, all of the neighborhood kids just gravitated towards us. If I was lying in the hammock they would just run and jump right on in, if I was shooting hoops they just joined in. I was uncomfortable with this at first, I had never experienced anything like it. But then God said to me, relax, kids loved to be around Jesus as well, Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18.
God is the best parent of all, He has all, He is in all, He loves us just like He loves Jesus, and He doesn’t respect any of His kids over another. Because our Father is Who He is, we are able to be like a little child with Him. Our Father began to use these little children around me to reveal to me just what Jesus was teaching us in the Sermon on the Mount. I clearly saw that when children have strong loving parents, they just naturally go into the world and take no thought for their needs. There is just an outright confidence in their parents taking care of everything! We are now born again of God Himself and we now have all of God’s strength and might working through us. Our Father is the Creator of everything and through His Anointing we are strong in all of the power of His might and we too are able to take no thought for our own lives. God knows that we have needs and He has provided for all of them, according to His riches and glory! If we look at the Lilies in the field, we can see just how magnificently our Father will provide for us! Children don’t lay up money for themselves, they get money and they want to spend it. If a friend needs a dollar for an ice cream cone, they just give it, or come and ask their mom or dad for it. They do this because they are confident in their parents provision, through personal experience, and they are taking no thought for their lives, they just know that dad and mom are providing, that is the rest that we enjoy in our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Think for a minute about a young child. Kids don’t take thought for paying a mortgage. They don’t take thought for utility bills, and they don’t worry about groceries. They don’t worry or take thought about these things because they are standing fast in their parents’ provisions. This is exactly how Jesus said we are to be and He said that we have to be.
Through Christ we are converted into new creatures and through Christ we enter into our Father's rest. The power and freedom of our salvation empowers us to be as little children. Jesus allows us to dance like a child, to love to be around people like a child, to play like a child, and to be accepting like a child; this is the peace of Jesus that passes all understanding. My two kids and all the neighborhood kids have such a blast. They just come over, who cares if they are dirty and have on old clothes, there are boys and girls, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, and Indian, they laugh, they play, they rejoice, it’s awesome. And unless we are converted through Christ and become as these little children are, we shall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!
Look in the Gospels at how Jesus lived. He talked in riddles or parables. He loved to be around people: young and old, rich and poor, male and female, sick and well! Kids were around Jesus so much that the adults rebuked them and then Jesus rebuked the adults! Jesus’ earthly ministry was for the Jews, Gentiles were to receive it after His death, yet when He came upon a non-Jew who needed help, He helped them as well! Jesus loved to cause trouble by going against the establishment and His first miracle was turning water to wine at a party! When someone would trouble Jesus, He would moan or cry out, “how long do I have to be with you?” Jesus’ life kind of sounds like a child’s life doesn’t it?
When Beth and I first moved into our sub-division, we had moved in from the country, all of the neighborhood kids just gravitated towards us. If I was lying in the hammock they would just run and jump right on in, if I was shooting hoops they just joined in. I was uncomfortable with this at first, I had never experienced anything like it. But then God said to me, relax, kids loved to be around Jesus as well, Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18.
God is the best parent of all, He has all, He is in all, He loves us just like He loves Jesus, and He doesn’t respect any of His kids over another. Because our Father is Who He is, we are able to be like a little child with Him. Our Father began to use these little children around me to reveal to me just what Jesus was teaching us in the Sermon on the Mount. I clearly saw that when children have strong loving parents, they just naturally go into the world and take no thought for their needs. There is just an outright confidence in their parents taking care of everything! We are now born again of God Himself and we now have all of God’s strength and might working through us. Our Father is the Creator of everything and through His Anointing we are strong in all of the power of His might and we too are able to take no thought for our own lives. God knows that we have needs and He has provided for all of them, according to His riches and glory! If we look at the Lilies in the field, we can see just how magnificently our Father will provide for us! Children don’t lay up money for themselves, they get money and they want to spend it. If a friend needs a dollar for an ice cream cone, they just give it, or come and ask their mom or dad for it. They do this because they are confident in their parents provision, through personal experience, and they are taking no thought for their lives, they just know that dad and mom are providing, that is the rest that we enjoy in our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
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