As a Child

Read:

Matthew 18:1-4 “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.’”

Think:

When we are children, we look to our parents with complete confidence, assuming that they have an unlimited supply of personal finances to draw from. Whenever we wanted something extravagant, we would tell them to "just go to the bank and get the money," because we assumed they had plenty. God sometimes wants us to relate to him in the same way.

He wants us to approach him with no worries or striving, but with complete confidence in his ability to meet our needs. Our challenge is to simply let ourselves become small, like children. In the world we live in, the expectations are often to be strong, self-sufficient, and independent. While maturity and responsibility are important, we need to set aside those qualities for a moment and allow ourselves to become desperate for God. We are his children, and he is our father. This is what we were created for – to love Jesus and be loved by him.

Apply:

Where do you struggle in trusting God? Confess your need of God’s help and ask him to help you live with increased faith. Lay down any ways in which you’ve been living apart from faith, and trust in your heavenly Father.

Pray:

Heavenly Father, I pray that you would give me the grace to become more childlike. I want to walk in the simplicity of faith that allows me to trust you wholeheartedly for all my needs. In Jesus' name, Amen.