“And Jesus said, Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Compare this admonition to Jesus’ words to the rich man… “If you want to be perfect (complete), go, sell your possessions and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). But he couldn’t part with his possessions.
What is it about children that we must emulate? And what is it about the rich man that we must avoid? It comes down to two major things. First, do we allow ourselves to be fully dependent on God, as children do their parents, or are we trying to keep control of our own lives, living as though we know best, only giving God verbal credit now and then for all our blessings, but secretly believing we have blessed ourselves? God sees through it…
Secondly, are we willing to admit our own self-made security is flawed and temporal? If our own strength, our own intellect, our own wealth, is keeping us from child-like dependence, it’s not a blessing, but a curse. The rich man would never learn that dependence on God is a far greater achievement in this life than anything he could do by himself, because he was unable to part with his treasure.
He had made his wealth his savior, his security, his identity, his love. In doing so, he had made it his idol and there was no room for God in his life. We know that the riches themselves were not the problem, as God allowed Abraham to have great wealth, but the sin was in his idolatry of them, and his refusal to allow himself to be dependent on God, over self.
To come before God in humble reverence, and to acknowledge that His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, puts even our best human abilities in their place. We need Him - in every way - every moment of every day. Whether we hold high positions of responsibility and status, or are invisible in the world’s eyes, we must all become as little children before Him, looking unto Him with the gaze of a child, to safely guide us Home. We hear His voice, and we KNOW all will be well because He is in control. And like a child that has been lifted into His arms, we find that dependence on Him brings the sweetest joy and peace.
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