LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 18:2-3, Then Jesus called a little child to Him in the midst of them and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 

When my four grandkids were little, I was able to have them with me in the summers (I was a teacher). One of our adventures in the afternoons was to go to the neighborhood pool. One by one I got them to jump off the side of the pool. For a while I would catch them and we would laugh because it was fun; they knew I would catch them. Then I would step back so they had to jump further; they knew I would catch them. Yes, I would catch them, but each time I would let them get sink a little further into the water as I did. Finally, the time came when I would catch them and let them go under the water while I had them. Oh, it was a great time. Once they understood all was okay, they were jumping off the side without needing to be caught. For a time, there was eye contact between us to know all was well because I was nearby.

 

Jesus used a little child as a living object lesson. All of us has had little children jump from a table or counter into our arms. They believe they are going to be caught by us; they place their faith and trust in us to do so.  Jesus said that each person needs to be converted or changed to enter into His kingdom. Like my grandkids and the children you have caught, we must humble ourselves and become like them believing He will “catch” us when in faith we ask Him to save us. To become like little children, we become teachable, dependent on and trust our heavenly Father. This is not a single act of repentance but a genuine sorrow for sin that draws us closer to Him. “Conversion involves changes in areas of relationships, habits, commitments, pleasures, and our whole view of life” (LSSB). This is a process where God teaches us to walk on the narrow way, one step at a time. He catches us when we take the step of faith and then backs up a little so our faith grows because we know He is there to help us.

 

There is a dependence on Him that is necessary to enter His kingdom. We must become like little children in our walk with Him. Tony Dungy has said it is, “a dependence marked with a simple – not simpleminded – approach to life.  A dependence using the knowledge, gifts, and abilities – the wisdom – He has created within us to make decisions that honor him, not us. And then announcing, “God, here I come!” knowing He will be there to make sure everything turns out okay.” He is going to be there to catch us when we walk in faith!

 

What Jesus said came due to a dispute among the disciple about who would be the greatest in heaven. His reply was they would not enter the kingdom of heaven because personal accomplishment or position in life. To enter God’s kingdom, they would need to become like little children who have no control over their circumstances in life; they would need to be completely dependent on God to supply for their needs and to protect them from the enemy. This is an honest humility and dependence on God, all of us need to enter His kingdom!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible