Matthew 18: 1-10
The Message (MSG)
At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, “Who gets the highest rank in God’s kingdom?”For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me. “But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse—and it’s doomsday to you if you do. “If your hand or your foot gets in the way of God, chop it off and throw it away. You’re better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owners of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You’re better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell. “Watch that you don’t treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don’t you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?
I love to read the words of Jesus... He was always so straight-forward and so passionate... He always fought for the "least of these"- for the innocent- for the children- for the widows- for the orphans.
It's been interesting these past few months as I have had to put down my "Martha" hat- giving up several jobs at church. It's been hard... because I've loved what I was doing at my church- singing on the worship team, hosting community group and yet knowing that I could not ask my body to do so much while it's housing another human being. And I have always found my identity in work.
As I am being called to lay my jobs down and focus on household, the Lord has reprimanded me on complicating my relationship with Him. Heath, Avery and Hero filmed a new episode of Heath & the Checker Shoe Band the other night. During editing, Heath called me over to the computer to watch a segment that Hero does. There was my little 6 year old on the computer screen shouting, "Do you want Jesus in your heart? Well, say this with me! 'Jesus come into my heart!!' Yea! Welcome to the family!!!"
I teared up, but immediately felt that Heath just add something more to it- to encourage discipleship and reading your Bible... stuff like that. After thinking about it for a few days, Heath said to me, "I think that just complicates it. For a kid, it really is that simple to ask Jesus into your heart and He's there. We make Christianity so complicated."
Well, that'll preach. Why do we adults need to make things so cerebral and so complicated? We work so hard at so many church programs that we miss out on just being with Jesus and that He's with us. All He wants is you.
So while I am being forced into laying down my jobs, I pray that this lesson stays with me after my body allows me to pick those jobs up again... if that's even the Lord's will for me. In my inability to trust Him, I get busy like an ant trying to store up for winter months... just in case He doesn't pull through.
And yet He always does.
I find a lot of freedom in this passage of scripture... that all Jesus wants is for me to come to Him like a child... the implications is that He will protect me and provide for me. 2013 was the Year of the Fishes and Loaves. I think for us, 2014 will be the Year of the Child- learning what true child-like faith and trust is and the freedom in that knowledge.
I hope that you find that kind of freedom and re-assurance in your relationship with Him.
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