A Child or else

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

A CHILD OR ELSE

Luke 18:15-17

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 

NIV

How adult we are, how adult minded we approach religious living. We think how we have to know all the scripture, know every aspect of what it means to be a “Good Christian”, trying to behave just the right way, guarding our emotions, being intellectual about our faith, but Jesus never told us to be like that. Jesus says here that we need to receive the kingdom of God like a little child and if we don’t we will never enter it. So what does accepting it like a little child look like? We merely have to remember how we were, or our children were on Christmas morning opening those presents. Children are so filled with excitement, with joy, with anticipation of what is inside that box. They are filled with hope that it is exactly what they have been wanting so much, and when they get it open, their faces are all smiles and even a scream of joyfulness as it is just the right thing. We adults, however a little more sedated about opening our presents. Is that how we approach receiving the kingdom of God, sedated? No, we cannot afford to be like adults, we need to be like children and get excited about being born again, enjoying our childhood, enjoying the thrill of the moment. Children have such unwavering faith in their parents, they just know they will give them want they want, at least in most cases. There are some either not so good parents, or way too good of parents, who disciple too harshly and restrict their children from being childlike. But for the most part children simply believe whatever they want, they ask for and in most cases get it. This is how we are to receive the kingdom of God, with simple faith, believing when we ask to be forgiven we get forgiven, when we ask to be born again, we get born again, when we ask to be healed we get healed. Adults complicate all that with too much thinking about how or why we would not get what we ask for, or have too many doubts, which in essence is disbelief. Even the hopes of children can be crushed if they are always disappointed and receive nothing they hoped for. But God is always faithful and he always gives us our hearts desire. Of course the desire should be the kingdom of God, rather than worldly gain. So no need for a second or third childhood, need to simply remain a child in the kingdom of God.