BIBLE PASSAGE:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then,
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 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. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name
welcomes me.
(Matthew 18:1-5)
MEDITATION:
If everyone was given a choice of going to heaven or hell, we can
assume that most would choose heaven, right? God has given us
a choice, and how we choose will determine where we will spend
eternity.
Even though the disciples spent a lot of time with Jesus, apparently
they had lost some of their focus. They became concerned about
their ‘rank’ in heaven and were overlooking the requirements for
getting there.
Imagine their thoughts when Jesus explained that they needed to
‘change’ and ‘become like little children’ if they expected to enter
heaven. Why would Jesus tell them ‘becoming like a child’ is a
requirement for heaven?
It could have been to remind them (and us) that a child has a
sincere trust in their parents, and they (His disciples) should
have that same relationship with their Heavenly Father.
If a child’s parents tell them it is safe to do something,
they are okay with it because,
“My dad says it’s safe”
If their parents tell them not to do something,
they will make every effort to avoid it because,
“My mom said I shouldn’t”
No matter what their friends want them to do (or not do), their
choices are influenced by what their parents have told or shown
them.
Do we do that? Do we have the kind of obedience of a child? Do
we do, or not do, things based on what our Heavenly Father has
said? There are commands like, “Do not commit murder”, that
most of us obey, but what about the other things He has told us?
Jesus told His closest friends (His disciples) they needed to change
and obey their Heavenly Father in the same way a child obeys their
earthly parents. Instead of being ‘self-centered’, they should become
‘God-centered’. If the things Jesus said were important for the disciples,
they should be important for us as well, right?
But what about adults (non-children)? How do we respond to God’s
commands? Have we become self-centered and decided for ourselves
that we don’t have to obey some of the things God told us to do, or
not to do?
We can find ways to justify our choices, but when we do, it can be
an indication that we know we are being disobedient to God. We
can convince ourselves that we are…
‘as good, or better than other Christians we know’.
We can even become offended when we think (assume) others
have the opinion that we don’t love God as much as they do.
But the sincerity of our love for God, should be determined by
Him, and not by how we measure up to those around us. Jesus
gave us a checkpoint for determining our love for Him and God.
“Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one
who loves Me. The one who loves me will be loved by My
Father, and I too will love them and show Myself to them.”
(John 14:21)
Whenever we try to justify our actions, there’s a high probability
that we are exceeding the boundaries of God’s commands. When
we feel the need to justify our actions, we should ask ourselves,
“Are my thoughts and actions pleasing to God?”
“Do I have a ‘childlike obedience’ of God’s commands?”
When we choose to ‘obey ourselves’ over ‘obeying God’, we are on
a slippery slope of ‘playing with sin’ that will pull us away from our
fellowship with our Creator (who loves us and wants to spend time
with us). We are also ignoring or rebelling against what Jesus said
about developing a childlike faith.
Jesus says that some will cause others to stumble and the
consequences of their actions will be more severe than they
could ever imagine. He gave His disciples a stern warning
about causing children who believe in Him, to stumble.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who
believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them
to have a large millstone hung around their neck and
to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world
because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such
things must come, but woe to the person through whom
they come!”
(Matthew 18:6-7)
How can we cause others to stumble? If our words and/or
actions teach children that it is okay to disobey some of
God’s commands, then we could cause them to stumble.
ACTION:
What about you? Have you become like a child when it comes to
your relationship with God? Have you considered the importance
of what Jesus told His disciples? Have you reached a point in your
life where you choose which of God’s commands you will obey, and
which of His commands you will ignore?
Do you get irritated (or even angry) whenever someone mentions
an area of your life that is not pleasing to God? Why would we be
offended when someone reminds us of the things God has said? We
should realize that God could be speaking to us through someone else.
Shouldn’t we want to hear God’s commands, and shouldn’t we
appreciate it when others remind us of them? God has given us
this command:
“And let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds,”
(Hebrews 10:24)
This is another checkpoint for us. Are we concerned about how
we can encourage others, or are we guilty of doing or saying
things which discourage them from loving and doing good deeds
for the Lord?
We are told that we should nourish our love for God and others,
and increase our desire to do good deeds. If we fail to do these
things, we can expect our spiritual development and maturity
to lack the growth God wants us to have. When we choose to
disobey some of God’s commands, in essence we are saying,
“God, I love you in some areas, but I am not going to
love You in other areas, no matter how many times
You remind me either directly, or through others”
We can measure the love we have for God by our obedience to His
commands, and we can measure our love for others by the level
of our forgiveness. Jesus taught His followers how to forgive, and
even when it may seem difficult for us, we need to remember how
Jesus forgave those who were torturing Him.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they are doing.”
(Luke 23:34)
Sometimes others hurt us inadvertently, and sometimes others
intentionally hurt us, but Jesus tells us we should be forgiving
of them all. Look at these important words from Jesus about
forgiveness:
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything
against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father
in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
(Mark 11:25)
The song, “What He’s Done” has a chorus that can
serve as a reminder of where we should be focused:
What He’s done, What He’s done,
All the glory and the honor to the Son.
My sins are forgiven, My future is Heaven
I praise God for what He’s done.
We should “become like little children” and obey God’s commands,
because Jesus tells us to. We cannot ‘become like little children’ in
our faith and trust in God, if we are arrogant and self-righteous.
Jesus said,
“UNLESS you change and become like little children,
you will NEVER enter the kingdom of heaven”
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me commands to
obey for finding eternal peace and joy. Forgive me if I am
guilty of deciding for myself which of Your commands I will
obey and which ones I will ignore. Change my attitude and
develop in me the faith of a child with a desire to obey You at
all times. Forgive me If I am selfish and failing to be a child
of Yours. Teach me to evaluate my love for You based on my
commitment and obedience to Your commands, and not on
a comparison with others. Help me to enjoy spending time
with You and other believers. Your Word clearly tells me what
I need to do, and I pray that the Holy Spirit You have given me,
will convict me to obey all Your commands.”
BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
Discussion
No comments yet.