Day 17: Jesus Thanks The Father
for Revealing Life to the Childlike
1About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5“And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. Matthew 18:1-5
Jesus tells us that part of being “childlike” is humility. In fact, Jesus tells us that unless we turn and become like children in this regard we will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If we think for a moment, we’ll see why Jesus made that statement. Humility is the opposite of pride. Pride tells us that we are in control, that we are better than others, even that we are “god.” With such attitudes we stand FAR from the Kingdom of God. In order to become fit for God’s Kingdom, we must understand that only those who recognize their need for God in the first place are fit for it. During Jesus’ earthly ministry many of the “lowly” members of society came to Him for healing, and acceptance. They confessed their sins and put their trust in Jesus. The religious leaders of the day often decided that Jesus’ acceptance of these “scum,” was reason enough to discount Him as the messiah. Thus, the humble entered the Kingdom of God and the proud were sent away. No clearer example of this is given than in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector found in Luke 18:9-14. In the parable, Jesus tells of a Pharisee who went to the temple and prayed. In his prayer, he thanked God that he was a righteous man, who fasted and prayed and gave alms. He pointed to the tax collector and thanked God that he was not like him. The tax collector, on the other hand, fell on his face before God and shouted, “Be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” Jesus tells us that the tax collector went away justified before God and NOT the Pharisee. In our lives, having a childlike humility before God and others is a sure way to be suited for the Kingdom, and there’s nothing more worthy of thanksgiving than that!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
What do you need to do to become more childlike in the area of humility?
Take some time right now to confess the pridefulness in your life, and to ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit that you may live in humility and childlikeness, today and always!