Luke 18:17 - Enter The Kingdom Of God As A Little Child.
Luke 18:17 - Enter The Kingdom Of God As A Little Child.
Luke 18:17 (NIV) I tell you the truth, anyone who will not
receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.
CONTEXT: The Little Children and Jesus: (Luke 18:15-17).
APPLICATION COMMENTARY - With Emphasis On Verse 17.
Like A Little Child: With total dependence, full trust, frank
openness and complete sincerity. [NIV SB]
It was customary for a mother to bring her children to a rabbi
for a blessing, and that is why these mothers gathered around Jesus.
The disciples, however, thought the children were unworthy of the
Master's time--less important than whatever else he was doing. But Jesus
welcomed them, because little children have the kind of faith and trust
needed to enter God's kingdom. It is important that we introduce our
children to Jesus and that we ourselves approach him with childlike
attitudes of acceptance, faith, and trust. [Life Application SB]
The incident is purposely sandwiched between stories of two
adults who sought entrance into God's kingdom, one by religious works
and the other by good deeds. Here the significant aspect of little
childness is dependence. No little child expects his own effort will
provide him with even food or shelter. As a little child depends on his
parents for everything, so we are to depend on God for entrance into His
kingdom. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
Bedtime is a bad time for kids. No child understands the logic
of going to bed while there is energy left in the body or hours
left in the day.
My children are no exception. A few years ago, after many
objections and countless groans, the girls were finally in their gowns, in
their beds, and on their pillows. I slipped into the room to give them
a final kiss. Andrea, the five-year-old, was still awake, just
barely, but awake. After I kissed her, she lifted her eyelids one final
time and said, "I can't wait until I wake up."
Oh, for the attitude of a five-year-old! That simple
uncluttered passion for living that can't wait for tomorrow. A philosophy of
life that reads, "Play hard, laugh hard, and leave the worries to
your father." A bottomless well of optimism flooded by a perpetual
spring of faith. Is it any wonder Jesus said we must have the heart of
a child before we can enter the kingdom of heaven. [Grace For The
Moment SB By Max Lucado re Luke 18:16, 17]
When children discover a new treasure, they are not content to
simply look at it. They touch, smell, and explore it With wide-eyed
delight they share the treasure with others. Even if the "treasure" is a
creepy crawling insect or a wide-eyed toad, it's beautiful to the one
who found it As adults we sometimes miss the joy of experiencing the
treasures that surround us, One of those treasures is our faith. As time
passes, we might forget our first love for God or even take our faith
for granted. Our lives become busy and complicated, and it becomes
easy to get caught up in what we think are more "important" matters.
Sometimes we intellectualize the Bible or our relationship with God and
completely miss the simplicity and beauty of it.
The excitement and joy of new believers is like that of a
child who has discovered a treasure. They marvel at it, delight in it,
and can't help but share it with others. Revisit the moment you
accepted Christ as your Savior and ask God to restore the excitement of
your first love for him. [Praying Through The Bible By Fuller re Luke
18:16, 17]
Children are naturally given to trusting, and God wants our
relationship with him to be driven by that kind of simple trust. Any other
kind of "faith" is inappropriate, unnatural, and ineffective. If we
find ourselves unable to trust, it may be helpful for us to
understand the hurts in our past that make it so difficult to do this.
Childlike faith is itself a gift from God that may take time for him to
restore in us, especially if we have been abused (spiritually
emotionally, sexually, or physically). In recovery we are told to keep it
simple; a simple faith in an almighty God is what we need for a
successful recovery. [Life Recovery SB]
"Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
All too often we glibly sing the words of this familiar
Christian hymn without giving them much thought. These important words
convey exactly what the Bible teaches. The secret of spiritual
happiness and blessing is simply trusting and obeying the Lord.... The
divine method for happiness and blessing is full trust in God and
complete obedience to His Word. Lack of faith and partial obedience not
only result in unhappiness and loss of blessing; they bring serious
consequences in the life of the believer.
The Bible contains many passages that teach the
trust-and-obey-for-happiness principle (see Psa.119, for instance). In addition, many
character studies from the Scriptures illustrate this same truth. Jacob
is one such example. Jacob was a believer who had to learn over
and over again throughout his life that halfway trust and obedience
do not bring happiness and blessing.....
God had stated in no uncertain terms His promises to Jacob,
and yet Jacob had the audacity to hold back with an "if" type of
faith and obedience. But let's not mock Jacob's faith and obedience
before we examine our own. Can we say without reservation that we
simply trust and obey, or must we confess that we selfishly bargain
with God?...
God does not expect us to question or change or compromise His
commands; He expects us to simply trust Him and obey Him. That's the only
way to find spiritual blessing and happiness. David Reid [Time With
God SB]
We don't need to be Bible scholars or experts to inherit the
kingdom of God; all we need is childlike faith--pure and simple. [The 365
Daily Promise Bible By Barbour re Luke 18:16, 17]
Grace Notes:
http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php
A Better Way to Live:
http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/
Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/
More Spiritual Resources:
http://www.aBible.com
