Bible Passage: “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:1-4 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Psalm 23:1-6
When my son was maybe 2 years old, we were at a local playground, and he was climbing on the jungle gym.
He was climbing on the highest part of the gym, while I stood there watching from maybe 15 feet away. He looked up, saw me standing a ways off, smiled, and walked off the edge of the gym towards me, launching out into space and plummeting to the earth.
I’m no athlete, but I was that day, diving forward to catch him before he hit the ground. I covered the distance and snatched him up in my arms before he landed.
I was shaken. He was delighted. “Again!” he shrieked. “NEVER!” I responded.
The level of trust he showed me in that moment was amazing; he fully believed I would catch him. And of course, that’s exactly what I would hope for from my son: I want him to trust me as his dad. His faith in that moment was perhaps a little reckless in those specific circumstances, but it was moving all the same, and everything worked out OK.
It’s exactly the same sort of trust that Jesus calls men to place in Him.
In today’s verses, Christ talks about the simple and trusting faith of a child. If men want to be great in this Kingdom, we must become childlike.
It’s always important to note that Jesus didn’t say to become childish. It’s not a statement of immaturity; it’s a statement of trust. Just like my son trusted me with his body as he launched himself into the air, we are to trust Jesus with everything; a simple faith that He is good and that He’s got us.
That’s not always easy for men. We like to be in control. We like data and results. We like to see before we believe and know before we act.
But Kingdom men can lay our natural dude tendencies aside to put our faith in the Lord. We don’t always have all the answers, but He always does. We can’t always see the end results, but He always can. We’re not always sure what to do, but we always know the One who does, who leads us in a good way, even when it’s hard (Psalm 23:1-6).
In this Kingdom, grown men act like little kids; not in our maturity, or our behavior, but in the simple trust a son has for his Dad.
God is God, and we are not. Kingdom men are humble and wise enough to know this and to put their full trust in the Lord.
Prayer: Lord, fill my heart with faith and trust in You, who You are, and what You can do. Help me to be a man whose eyes are fixed on You, and who walks in Your ways always. Amen.
Reflection: What do you find to be the most challenging part about trusting God? What is one small step of trust you can take today?
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