One Thing 9/21/16

Matt. 18:18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Jn.5:19, Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.
Jesus said that when you “receive a child in my name you receive me.” The word “child,” is actually the word for “little child.” Jesus was saying that he was childlike in his faith, and therefore to receive a little child, who in humility will believe anything, is like receiving him. Notice what he says in the John passage. He said that he was so convinced of the Father’s love for him that the Father would not let him miss it, as far as knowing the Father’s will in each moment. That is childlikeness. You see Jesus made it very clear that he was utterly and radically surrendered to his Father’s will, therefore posturing him, as a man, to be led by the Holy Spirit. In light of that, Jesus wasn’t convinced of his being in the center of God’s will because of his own spirituality; instead, he was convinced of being in God’s will because the Father loved him too much to let him miss it. Again, that is the way a little child, in the simplicity of faith, would trust a Father who they believed loved them fiercely, and continuously. Look at what John 17:23 says about the father’s love for you and me. “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me“. Wow, if we can only believe in the love of the Father with the faith of a little child as Jesus did. How much of the kingdom would we be able to explore.

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