Key Verse: He called a child and had him stand among them. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2-4 CSB)
There is never a dull moment in my house because of my children. Regardless of the time of day, there is always something going on. Some moments my children make me laugh, and other moments, not so much. If you were to ask them, they would probably say the same thing about me.
Psalm 127:3 tells us that, “Children are a gift of the Lord”. This is very true. As I’ve discovered though, raising children is also a lot of work. There is so much that they need to be taught, and so much that they cannot do for themselves, especially when they’re very young. Even if you don’t have children, according to Jesus, there is a lot we can learn from them, particularly as it relates to the kind of faith God is looking for from us, and how we approach God.
In Matthew 18:2, Jesus says that,“unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” It sounds then like something we should think about. So what does it mean to “become like children”? Does it mean that we should get some friends together to play a game of hide-and-seek or that we should start playing again with blocks? Of course not.
According to Jesus, to become like a child means to be someone who “humbles himself like this child” (v.5). To humble yourself like a child before God means to recognize and acknowledge your utter need for Him. Like a young child who completely relies on his father and mother to meet his needs, we are to approach our heavenly Father in the same spirit of dependence. We are to look to God to lead, love, protect and provide for us in every way.
In 1 Peter 2:2, we are instructed to, “Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation.” To be like a child means that we recognize that we depend completely on His gracious provision and care, and we look to our Father to give us all that we need to grow into who He has called us to be.
Jesus said, “your Father knows the things you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). He also said, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?” (Matthew 7:11) As our Heavenly Father, God knows what we need, and He delights in us His children every time we turn to Him.
So let’s do that again today. Let’s turn to God with a childlike faith, recognizing how much we need Him, and delighting in His perfect love toward us.
Prayer: Father, I thank you that through Jesus you have made me one of your children. You are my perfect heavenly Father. You know exactly what I need and delight to love and care for me. Help me to humble myself before you like a child. I look to you today to help me grow into who you’ve called me to be. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
