Do You Still Learn Like A Child?
Good Morning Friends,
Growing up, the one thing I did not want to happen was to get lost. Bad things happened when people got lost, so I was not one to stray too far from the flock. I was never too rebellious, only enough to gain some independent thoughts. Having great parents helped, but today looking at the scripture of the day, I am thinking that the way I learned as a youth needs to mature in some ways but not in all. Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. We are to feed on Scripture to be nurtured. Do You Still Learn Like A Child?
Scripture: But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe. He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey. He said to me: Mortal, go to the house of Israel and speak my very words to them.
Ezekiel 2:8-3:4 (NRSV)
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
Matthew 6:31 (NRSV)
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 (NRSV)
Message: It is humility that brings honor and growth to God’s people. A person, who humbles himself like a little child, even though that may cause others to ignore him, will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Ezekiel who was great in his own way was instructed to humbly submit eat the very words of God so that he might share them. So too Jesus, the Shepherd, leads us to green pastures if we are humble enough to follow and be fed. You see, we are go before God as a child, stripped of our sins and doubts, full of wide-eyed inspiration that comes from total faith. Friends, without faith we cannot please God. We are to have a childlike faith combined with a childlike love to become free to experience God. What Jesus is telling us is that we are all children of God and that God will provide for us if we humble ourselves. That is why Jesus tells us that we must change our way of thinking to be fit for heaven. We need be reformed of our pride and ambition and instead desire the Milk and Honey of scripture. We need to learn as a child learns. Then we can mature.
Pray we not be rebellious against God and pray we not worry. Pray
when it comes to our relationship with God that
we are innocent like a child. Pray we are trusting like a child. Pray we believe without complication. Pray we receive with joy. Pray we forget about ourselves and live life with a light-hearted abandonment. Pray we are humble. Pray we are content in the little things. Pray we have faith to move our emotional mountains into our emotional valleys. Pray we are awed by majestic splendor of life and of God. Pray we not become cynical with age. Pray we take to heart God’s Word in all its simplicity. Pray we have faith but also love received and shared. Pray we believe God will take care of us.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 