A Childlike Faith
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.” (Matthew 18:2-4)
In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry, he tells this simple yet impactful story of Jesus talking about childlike faith. He uses a child as an illustration of trust and humility, which were qualities the Pharisees lacked.
Think about when you first accepted Christ. Most likely, at the very beginning, you had a childlike faith. Maybe, you were actually a child when you accepted Christ. Either way, you probably relied heavily on your Heavenly Father because following Jesus was so new to you. With your new faith, you approached God with awe and wonder; and you were excited to spend time with Him.
Unfortunately, over time, we begin to believe there are certain aspects of life we can handle on our own. We say to God, “I’ve got this,” when we think we can control something. We rely too much on ourselves and not enough on Him. This is a dangerous approach. With this heart attitude, we begin to idolize ourselves, our plans, and our hopes, instead of surrendering those things to the Lord.
God wants you to take the posture of a child when it comes to your relationship with Him. He wants you to find it easy to believe Him and easy to trust Him. He wants you to expect provision, protection, and support from Him, instead of trying to find those things within yourself. He wants to take care of you, His child. Because your Heavenly Father cares so much for you, you can approach Him humbly, with a renewed childlike faith.
In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry, he tells this simple yet impactful story of Jesus talking about childlike faith. He uses a child as an illustration of trust and humility, which were qualities the Pharisees lacked.
Think about when you first accepted Christ. Most likely, at the very beginning, you had a childlike faith. Maybe, you were actually a child when you accepted Christ. Either way, you probably relied heavily on your Heavenly Father because following Jesus was so new to you. With your new faith, you approached God with awe and wonder; and you were excited to spend time with Him.
Unfortunately, over time, we begin to believe there are certain aspects of life we can handle on our own. We say to God, “I’ve got this,” when we think we can control something. We rely too much on ourselves and not enough on Him. This is a dangerous approach. With this heart attitude, we begin to idolize ourselves, our plans, and our hopes, instead of surrendering those things to the Lord.
God wants you to take the posture of a child when it comes to your relationship with Him. He wants you to find it easy to believe Him and easy to trust Him. He wants you to expect provision, protection, and support from Him, instead of trying to find those things within yourself. He wants to take care of you, His child. Because your Heavenly Father cares so much for you, you can approach Him humbly, with a renewed childlike faith.
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1 Comment
Just as children ask continuous questions,I have many questions myself. I am always looking in the Bible for answers and asking my Heavenly Father