Matthew 18:1-6 NASB [1] … At that time a 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 d be better for him to have a heavy e millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. …
Colossians 3:1-4 NASB [1] … Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. [3] For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. …
On the surface these verses don’t seem to go together, but they really are a perfect fit. The Matthew passage is all about the kind of faith that is necessary if we are going really explore the kingdom of God and, in humility, carry and manifest spiritual greatness. Jesus makes it very simple, and that is what we have to become; simple and be like a little child.
The faith of a little child involves a lot of imagination, and I believe that imagination is an important part of faith. Little children can use their imagination to think of all kind of fantasies and unreal things, but because of that, they are much more open to the supernatural and the things that might not make sense to the intellect. You should never be afraid of the word “imagination” because each of us uses our imaginations all the time. The problem is, as we get older and have experienced enough disappointment and pain in this fallen world, our imaginations become very limited. We become cynical and not very certain about happy endings anymore. Romans 15:13 says this, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This verse is filled with amazing enchantment, and causes my imagination to run wild. God is a God of hope, not a God of cynicism and self protection. If we are going to be filled with ALL joy, peace, and abound in hope by the power the Holy Spirit, it can only happen in “believing.”
To imagine literally means “to image things that are real, but not seen.” Again, I know that we can use our imaginations to fantasize about unreal things, but I believe God wants us to use my imagination to be fascinated with those things that are real in heaven, yet unseen by our physical eyes. That’s why the Colossians verses are so important; it reminds us that we are actually heavenly people already, seated in Christ in heavenly places. Actually, the better translation of verse 1 is “Since then you have been raised up with Christ.” As people who are already abiding in heaven in Christ, we are called to seek those things which are above, that are real and supernatural, yet unseen, and then to set our mind on those things that we have discovered.
To set your mind on things above is to live by a faith that is injected with imagination. Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Einstein was not a believer, and yet, I think he longed to live a life of faith. He wrote that because he believed that all invention was the result of imagination that came before realization. The good news for believers is that you do not have to be an Einstein to live a supernatural life; you just have to become like a little child.