April 25, 2018
“But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’” – Luke 18:16-17
Many of us have heard this scripture passage before. We love the picture that it paints; Jesus sitting on the hillside talking, teaching, and laughing with the children. As beautiful as the picture of v.16 is, we cannot miss the serious statement of Jesus that follows in v.17. This verse contains the one phrase that Jesus says when he wants everyone to sit up and pay attention; “Truly I tell you.” Jesus wants us to understand that receiving the Kingdom of God like a little child is of vital importance. But how do we do this? What does He mean?
Like all passages of Scripture, this one is set in context. After this story, we are told that a rich young man approaches Jesus and asks the question we are asking today, “how do I get eternal life?…How do I enter the Kingdom of God?” Jesus begins by asking him about following the laws, to which the man happily replies that he has done this from his youth. But then Jesus tells him he is still lacking one thing: he must give away all his possessions to the needy and follow Jesus. The young man sadly walked away. So what was the rich young man lacking? He was not willing to put all of his trust in Christ. He relied on his own righteousness for salvation, and he relied on his wealth for his security and happiness. When we come to Christ, we must come as little children; completely dependent on Him for our salvation, for our provision, and for our joy. Anything we try to bring to the table or anything we rely on instead of Him will only serve to separate us from Him and stand in the way of our eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Heavenly Father, help us to approach You as a little child approaches his father, completely dependent on You and only You for our safety, our provision, our joy, and ultimately our Salvation.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon <><
