Welcome back ... To refresh our memories a bit, remember, Jesus and
the Apostles had recently arrived in Galilee from Capernaum. When they
went back to Capernaum, it seems that along this journey, the Apostles
had a little discussion among themselves about who would have the best
position in the new Kingdom that they were expecting would be coming
about soon. Oh you can just imagine, the twelve of them, probably half
jokingly, yet serious, going on about who met Jesus first, or who knew
more about politics, or who could manage the financial affairs of the
Kingdom the best, who was the oldest, who was the smartest, who was
this and who was that.
Well, Jesus knew what was going on, and when they
got to Capernaum He asked them, What was your disagreement about on
the way? They were embarrassed, so they were all quiet and none of
them had an answer to give Jesus. He sat down and called His twelve
Apostles to Him and said,
If any man
desires to be first, that same man will be the last of all,
and servant of all.
This is the important part of our ... Become Like a Child and find your Childlike Heart investigation.
Then, Jesus took a small child and set him in the middle of them, and when He had taken him in His arms, He said,
Honestly I tell you, Unless you be converted, and become as little children,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Whoever will humble himself
like this little child, that man is greatest in
the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever receives a child like this in my name,
receives me, and whoever receives me, receives Him that sent me.
Whoever is least among you, will be great. But whoever offends one of
these little ones who believes in me, it would be better for him if a
millstone were hanged around his neck, and that he was drowned in the
bottom of the sea.
What did that ... How to have Childlike Faith Bible verse mean? You must be as a child? What do you believe Jesus mean by that?
Innocent. Pure. Angelic. Selfless. Forgiving. Trusting. Trustworthy.
Remember what it was like before you had the cares of the world on
your shoulders and the worldly matters ... IN YOUR MIND? When you see
a child now, do you ever wish you could be a kid again? Jesus wants
you to be. Not in the sense of being three foot tall with a dirty face
and your sneaker laces always untied, but to have the kind of
dedicated belief that a child has. They're devoted. Their minds are
clean. They don't have adult worries. All they need is to love and be
loved. They believe. They believe they can swing on a swing and touch
the sky. They believe their Guardian Angel takes care of them. They
believe that a kiss can heal a boo boo, and they believe that God
hears their prayers.
Let's continue our Become Like a Child with a Childlike Heart journey.
Jesus wants us to be like that. He said, Unless you
be as a little child, you won't get into Heaven. It's the world that
has CON-vinced us to believe that being childlike isn't a good thing.
Even the word childish makes you feel ashamed. But that's not
what Jesus said, so don't let the world get you confused. The next
time you get the chance, challenge yourself to this: Don't worry what
other people think, be as a child. Swing on a swing, throw a stone
into a lake, color a picture with a brand new box of crayons, stomp in
a puddle, devour a chocolate ice cream cone, and kneel down next to
your bed and whisper, Now I lay me down to sleep. You don't need to be
embarrassed, because that's what it takes to get to Heaven.
While you're at it, check out how much easier it is
to just plain feel good while you're doing those things. Why is that?
Because you put all those things aside that are in between you and
God, and that allows you to be closer to Him. You may not even be
conscious of it, but isn't that what it was like way back when you
didn't have all those things to be concerned about when you were a
child? Isn't life funny? When you're a child, you can't wait to be an
adult. Now that you're an adult ... guess what! It's cool to be a
child!
Whoever receives a child like this in my name,
receives me, and whoever receives me, receives Him that sent me. Why
not try a prayer something like this: Dear Father, In the name of
Christ Jesus your precious Son, at one with the Holy Spirit, please
bless me with a childlike spirit and help me to receive Jesus as a
child. I ask you to please remove all thoughts that may hinder me from
being childlike and I praise you and thank you for your help in this
because I've forgotten how to do it. I love you, Father. Thy will be
done. Amen.
Hope you have fun with your new little Become Like a Child with a Childlike Heart challenge. Maybe instead of
just doing it one time and forgetting about it, you might try doing
something childlike once a day until it becomes a habit, (usually 40
days) then stand back and watch the magic of being a child start to
enlighten your life while you're steadily getting closer to the
Kingdom of Heaven. Let’s play a little game ... TAG ...You're it! Now go
and find the child inside of you that's been hiding and share the how to have Childlike Faith Bible verse with other children of God!
BECOME AS A CHILD AS TO HAVE A CHILDLIKE HEART
CONTINUE
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