For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth...Eph 5:9
Winter 2003 Volume 4, Issue 1 |
The Children of God |
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atthew 18:1-4: “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 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. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus was addressing our worldly desire to be great. We want to be first, to be honored above others or have a prominent position among our peers. The early disciples were not any different than we are today, and when they asked Jesus about positions of prominence in the kingdom, Jesus used the humility of a child to illustrate what our desire should be in that regard. Children have a number of sweet characteristics embodied in the humility that Jesus spoke of. When considering these passages, we often think of humility, as a single characteristic, removed from the many other characteristics that Christians must have as outlined in the Scriptures. But we cannot separate the commandments of God from the basic nature of humility. Without it, we cannot have love in our hearts, we cannot worship God with a humble heart, we cannot be a guiding light, a shining example to others. The humble nature of children that Jesus spoke of in these verses is the gateway to true Christianity. Without a humble |
heart, we cannot go in. As Jesus spoke of becoming little children; He no doubt had in mind the many qualities of these little ones. The simple moral values that have no notion of the deeds of sin and lust. Thoughts that cannot comprehend immoral behavior and debauchery. Minds that dwell only on the things around them; their mother's love or their father’s joy. Uncomplicated little beings that take life one day at a time. In that way, we need to keep our minds and hearts pure and separated from the thoughts and concerns of this world. In Philippians 4:8 Paul writes, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Trust Like Children One attribute of children is their trustfulness. A small child will believe almost anything we adults tell them. They haven't yet learned that people deceive, so they believe that everyone is good and wants to be their friend. We have a heavenly Father that is our friend. We know that we can trust in Him implicitly and all that He has promised, He will give. But we must trust Him as a little child trusts his parents. We must have complete faith in Him and through that faith, He will bless us. As David says so many times in so many ways in the book |
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