“But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:16-17)

It seems the older we get, the more complicated we make life. Jesus stood a child before His Disciples and 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. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:3-5)

It is the simple act of a child as they reach up with their arms and hands to a parent with a trust that the parent will hold and take care of them. This is an act of faith. It is this faith which brings us salvation. We reach up to God, who has come to us in Jesus Christ, with a faith that He will hold us and take care of us. This is the promise made by Jesus. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) We can rest in the hands of God.

We also know that He can take care of us because He has overcome death through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, through His care we will also overcome death through eternal life. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

As we come to Christ through faith, God also brings us into His Kingdom. “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12) While we come to God as a child, we grow as His child, maturing in our faith. Through these years of growth, God disciples us as His children by training and correcting us. “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.” (Hebrews 12:5-7) Christ has set the example for us as we grow in our relationship with God. “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Throughout our lives we will grow and mature as children of God. As we begin, we find the hope and security of our Lord. The more we grow, the more we know that there is more so much more as we learn the love and the ways of God. Over 15 hundred years ago, a theologian named Jerome stated, “The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for a theologian to swim in without ever touching the bottom” In our lives as children of God we find both God’s security and His abundance. In this life we are just beginning as we have eternity to come, all become we have come to Him as a child.

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block