Matthew
18:3 - And said, “Assuredly,
I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will
by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
I recall a specific incident from
my teenage years. At the time, shortly after my dad’s death, my older brother
and his wife were living with us. My mom was away from home and my brother was
at work. I was about to leave the house when my sister-in-law asked where I was
going. I didn’t want to tell her because, being a typical fifteen year old, I
thought I was old enough to go where I wanted, when I wanted. When I didn’t
answer she said, “You know your mom is going to ask me where you went.”
That day it didn’t make me feel any
better but I did tell her where I was going and what time I would be home. I
knew that was the rules, I was just testing them. I remember thinking countless
times as a child, “I can hardly wait until I’m old enough to do what I want
without being told what to do.” I’m still somewhat an independent and perhaps
hardheaded individual. I value my privacy and my independence.
This independence is both a good
thing and a bad thing. As it relates to being an adult, it can be seen as good.
We all have to grow up, hold a job, pay our own bills, etc. When it comes to
the kingdom of God, however, things are different. We never outgrow the need to
trust God. We never outgrow the need to ask his opinion and his permission
before we do something. In fact, the more we grow, and the more responsibility
he gives us, the more we need to seek his counsel before we make a move.
All of us were born needy. We had
to be fed, changed, and bathed. Our mother (or other caretaker) was our
lifeline. We trusted our mothers without reservation. In that same way, we must
depend on the milk of God’s word. In time, we grow into eating the meat of God’s
word. Yet we never graduate from God’s School of Trust. It is a required course
for every stage of life. The Lord wants us dependent on him.
This does not mean that we don’t
mature. The mature Christian should automatically know that some things are
against God’s word. He or she will not have to ask whether some things are good
for him or not. He will know this from reading God’s word, from time in prayer,
and from fellowship with other Christians. Yet there will always be times when
we must seek God earnestly for the answers we need. God requires this of us. We
never graduate from his school of trust. The good thing is that we should never
want to because, as the old adage says, “Father always knows best.”
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Sullivan Jones