The kingdom of God as a little child

“Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Luke 18:17

This single verse carries much that is often lost on clergy and congregations alike. This verse is so simple when given any thought. A child is born ignorant knowing nothing but basic survival instincts. A child relies on others for everything in their existence. From the food they eat to shelter from the weather. Many people acknowledge that Christ is the messiah and believe that he is the messiah but they never take the step of treating him as such from the perspective of a child.

Many Christians do the same thing I did for many years. I was a Christian but I decided what I was going to do and how I would do it despite what Christ wanted me to do. Why God allowed me to go my own way for many years I do not know. Time and again he called me to teach and preach; time and again I turned away from him on that level and went my own way. Time and again he tried to gently pull me back. Each time I was reluctant to do it. Finally through a series of events he quit being gentile.

In short, my life fell apart on every level, personally and professionally. I clearly remember the night I finally gave up, crushed beyond belief I cried out “OK you win, I’ll do what you want.” From that day on my life changed. For the first time in my life I went to Christ as a child. It still took several years before I got used to the idea of completely giving up control of my life to Christ, but I did. At one point the question was put to me “How much do you trust God to take care of you”? “Completely,” I answered. Within a short period of time I was fired from my job. I was in pursuit of one of the goals that God had given me. On my way home that day I remember saying “OK, God now what, you got control I need to make a living while I do this.” God answered the prayer. Without working since, he has provided for my family and me.

“Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”

A child doesn’t worry about tomorrow they know that their mother and father will take care of them. That probably explains why Christ taught the disciples to pray Matthew 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”

The use of the word father was no mistake. Go to the father as a child, go with a humble heart, expecting what you want, but knowing that he may refuse. Even Christ acknowledged that some times what we want is not what God wants. This is demonstrated in Matthew 26:42 “He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, ‘O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.’”

This prayer was made a short time before Christ was to be tortured and then crucified, Christ knew what was about to happen. Ask as a child, nobody likes an arrogant child. Don’t demand, demanding will usually not get you what you want.

View the prayer through a child’s eyes. Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers; just as a parent sometimes must turn down a child’s request, God must sometimes turn down ours. Sometimes the pain must be experienced for the blessing to occur. Ask any mother if child birth was worth the pain. The wonderful memories of raising the child overshadow child birth to just a flicker of time.

When a person finally does submit to God as a child, God takes care of them as a good parent takes care of a child. The stresses of life will still be there, but now I look to God when the storms of life come and say as a child “OK God, show me your power,” and like a good parent he takes care of me. This is not a magic formula. It is available to every Christian that is willing to submit.

Have you been called to submit and not submitted to Christ’s commission for you? Could that be why life just isn’t working out? Try turning your life over to Christ and not just believing he is the messiah. Live your life as a child, your life will change.

Mike Blodgett is a Chaplain at Lighthouse Chapel. To contact him, call 373-5866, or send e-mail to lighthouse_chapelak@yahoo.com.