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One of the things that drew people to Jesus was his
child-likeness. He was not childish, but he possessed an awe and wonder for the
world in which he lived, and his hope for humanity. And this awe was
contagious. Jesus revealed how God intended life to be lived. Jesus taught that
if you want to experience God’s life in this life — the kingdom of heaven —
then you need to become like a little child once again. God is calling you to a
greater lifestyle of childlike faith - He is calling you to place your trust in
him alone for your finances, relationships, future, past, and present. There is
nothing wrong with being childlike - childlike faith is something Jesus looks
for and delights in - not a childish faith — but a childlike faith
Morning Devotions By Chris Witts
I like the story of a father who
decided one night to take his wife and kids to a good restaurant for dinner.
Before they ate, the
six-year-old son prayed out loud, Thank you, God, for the food. And I
would even thank you more if mum got us some ice cream.
There was quite a bit
of laughter around the table — everybody smiled, except one grumpy lady who was
indignant: That’s what’s wrong with this country. Kids today don’t even
know how to pray. Fancy asking God for ice cream.
The six-year-old
burst into tears and just then an elderly man walked by, gave him a wink and
whispered to him, Too bad she never asked for ice cream. A little ice
cream is good for the soul sometimes.
When his dessert came, the young boy
picked up his sundae and walked to the lady’s table and put it on the table in
front of her.
He smiled and said, This is for
you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, and my soul is good already.
A delightful story, don’t you agree?
The faith of a child is very powerful. And has many lessons for us who are
older.
Adults
Forget Childlike Trust
The trouble with us adults is this.
As we grow out of childhood, we become
self-sufficient.
We lose the simplicity and wonder of childhood
— our simple trust in God becomes hazy.
Life becomes complex and difficult. We
lose our simple trust in God.
Children have delightful qualities: a
tender conscience, openness about their feelings, creativity, imagination, joy,
trust, easy forgiveness, always thinking the best about life and people — and a
willingness to learn and grow.
But adults lose so much and we become
disillusioned, angry, carry grudges, we lose out hopes, become jaded and
disinterested.
We allow personal worries to come and
overtake us.
If you saw the movie Peter Pan that
came out in the early 90s with Robin Williams playing the role of Peter Pan,
you will know that in the remake of this Disney classic, Peter Pan (Robin
Williams) had left Never Never Land and had grown up.
He was married with two children and
was burdened by the cares of the world — in this case his job.
When Captain Hook stole his kids and
took them to Never Never Land in order to get him to return
for a final battle, Peter Pan was totally out of sorts as he had forgotten what
it was like to be a child with an imagination.
However, the longer he was there, the
more he became more childlike.
By the end, he remembered what it meant
to be ‘like a child’ even though he was a grownup.
Some people think it’s wrong to have a
childlike faith.
They say, Yes, but, you have to
question and challenge everything. You can’t accept everything that life throws
at you.
Let me try and explain. You probably
know that children ask lots of questions. They’re curious about everything.
The constant barrage of questions from
a two-year-old can be difficult for any mother to handle.
Kids want explanations — and having a
childlike faith does not mean not asking questions.
It’s OK
to Ask Questions
Of course, it’s OK to ask questions,
and seek the right answers.
That’s all about being wise.
Everybody’s beliefs do not all stay the same throughout all of life.
Instead, everybody matures and grows in
what they think and believe. This is normal, natural, and just as God intended.
Just as children grow and mature, so
also does faith. This is the way God made humans, and this is the way God made
faith.
In Matthew’s gospel, we see one day the
disciples came to Jesus and asked who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of
Heaven.
He called a child to
stand near him. And then Jesus said, “I promise you this. If you don’t
change and become like a child, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.
But if you are humble as this child, you are the greatest in the Kingdom of
Heaven” (Matthew
18:2-4).
One of the things that drew people to
Jesus was his child-likeness.
He was not childish, but he possessed
an awe and wonder for the world in which he lived, and his hope for humanity.
And this awe was contagious. People who
saw how Jesus lived began to see how life should be lived.
Jesus revealed how God intended life to
be lived.
Jesus taught that if you want to
experience God’s life in this life — the kingdom of heaven — then you need to
become like a little child once again.
God is calling you to a greater lifestyle
of childlike faith.
He is calling you to place your trust
in him alone for your finances, relationships, future, past, and present.
One of the wonderful things about being
a follower of Jesus is that there is nothing wrong with being childlike.
In fact, childlike faith is something
Jesus looks for and delights in.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I am not
referring to a childish faith — but a childlike faith.
Morning
Devotions
is a five-minute daily reflection for anyone curious about faith, or looking
for encouragement in their walk with God. In his warm and friendly style,
presenter Chris Witts — a well-loved Salvation Army minister — shares
bite-sized messages applying faith to everyday life.
In
today's world real hope is hard to find. That's why Hope 103.2 exists:
to bring the message of hope to our community through a family-friendly, safe
listening environment.
We
won't be quick to criticise or condemn. And we won't play on people's fears. Hope
103.2 will be ready to celebrate what's good in society and culture.
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