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.
A LESSON IN HUMILITY.
Nine times out of ten, I need one of those. Is it just me, or is it just plain HARD to bring yourself to a child-like stage in your heart, mind, and spirit? Oftentimes, I struggle with that one.
I tend to want control of my circumstances or situation...and it's not mine to have. That is not humility.
In my not-to-distant past, I wondered around trying to find my niche. I wanted to know what God's will was, and I was searching, diligently. I was working hard at trying to figure out what that "thing" was that God wanted me to do. That service that I was designed to do. Man, did I toil over it. I prayed and begged GOd like a mad-woman to let me know whatever that "thing" was. I whittled away desperately at that stick of correction that was intended for my own whipping. I didn't even see what I was doing to myself. It seemed that I was running in a circle. There was no end. No light at the end of that tunnel.
God's Word clearly showed me that my issue was ever so tiny in the grand scheme of things...but creating a huge stumbling block in the way of my path OUT of that circle. There was no way He was going to bless me and show me His will, if I could not bring myself to a child-like faith and humbleness. God needs to be able to "Father" his "children," in order to teach them the way!
So, what does it mean, to have a "child-like faith?"
Does this mean that I must be immature in my thinking toward the things of God? God forbid. I think not.
Upon some study, I find this means being simplistic and humble.
hmmm...humble. I find that in the KJV of Scripture, humble appears 25 times. Must mean God means for us to seriously consider the benefits of that in our lives- for Him to make sure it's repeated that often!
I find in looking up the word "humble," it means submissive respect. It means you're marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit. It means you're not arrogant or prideful. Wowzer.
I must humble myself just the way that I did that very day I was saved. Was I a child at the time? Yes. Had I been an adult, would I have been expected to "be as a child?" YES. I am pretty sure that it means to come broken before the Lord. Knowing that you are the child-and HE is the Father. Letting Him do all the instruction, correction, encouraging, comforting, affirming-all the things you expect a Father to do.
I found, that once I humbled myself, and "became as a child" before Him...He started opening up the doors that had been shut for quite a while, and allowing me through. He began to unleash His power that I had tried to obtain all along...all by myself. Funny part is...is that I wasn't in HIS WORD like I should have been...NO WONDER things were not working out! It starts to all make sense when I look back. He had some serious correcting to do in me, to "whip me into shape!" And boy, does it ever HURT sometimes. But SOOOO worth it, and to my benefit! I found that I also, had to repent of some things in my life that had been woven into my heart causing the road blocks, as well. Mend some relationships. Get to peace in my heart, mind, and spirit.
I found it interesting also, that God repeated Himself two MORE times in Scripture concerning this "child-like" need in my life.
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
This does not tell me I must be a child physically, in order to be received of Him for eternal salvation. It is part of the way God works. He expects us to be so humbled within ourselves, that we realize our great need of HIM, and are broken-hence producing, a greater faith.
Have you ever noticed what kind of faith a KID will exercise? It's crazy! They will do things that us adults would NEVER try...with no fear most of the time. When there are good parents, the kid will dive in->head-first, they get into things, with complete trust that this parent/s will see them through without letting them fail.
Ever seen one of these little brats snow skiing? GEESH! Not even a whole 2 ft. tall sometimes-they fly right past me with a fierce wind and yelping for joy, all the way down- while I remain in my "pizza stance," scared to death, and sweating bullets to try to get down to the bottom of that bunny trail. Makes ya just want to knock 'em over, doesn't it? ;-)
"Why can't we trust like that, with our own Creator? He knows most, about what's best for us. After all, He designed us each one, individually- Himself!
I'm so glad that God is a patient God. Loving. Kind. Forgiving. True. Trustworthy. Redeeming.
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