Like a child? Or childish?

We know a family from another culture and another part of this world who have become close friends, even calling us by family names. They are Christians who have been persecuted and learned to deeply trust God for everything. In their faith, they are transparent with us, like children in their attitude and joy. Sadly, some people think that because of that child-like trust and simple joy, this family has a low IQ and are unable to make good choices.

Christ said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” (Matthew 18:3–5)

That attitude of a child is not about how much they know or how dependent the child is on adults to take care of them. It is about trust, receptivity, being eager to listen and obey, about being open, being who they are without putting on a false layer to cover up their sense of inadequacy.

Think about the result of a child of loving parents getting the idea that his parents would not give him food and clothing unless he earned them in some way. This is part of what Jesus meant. Children of God are to remain trusting, not spoil their sweet relationship with God by thinking they must work for spiritual blessings. The NT describes this:

You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:4)

This could be illustrated by one person who also knows the first family I described. When I mentioned the mature godliness I saw, he described it as “childish” in critical terms, rather than “child-like” as a virtue. Later, that same person expressed that applying Scripture is paramount rather than first interpreting it properly. He is heavy into ‘doing’ without first seeking what God wants. He seems to be always tired and without deep joy.

Without knowing the human heart, I cannot say what goes on in this critic’s mind. He doesn’t seem to think Jesus is a “hard man” like the one He describes in Matthew 25:24, yet without the transparency of a child, who can know what drives him or others like him who dismiss the ‘children’ of God as naive and in need of much guidance.

Another characteristic of those who deeply trust Christ like a child is that they have realized the truth Jesus describes here:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

Jesus would not have to say this if so many people, Christians included, have not bowed their necks to the yoke of Christ as to a yoke of bondage. They read these verses as if they are a fairy tale. Sometimes when a Christian is in bondage and then finds true liberty, they think there is something wrong about their experience.

I get that. The liberty of transparency and total trust at times has made me feel like I should be ‘doing something’ or be more burdened for the messes and the needy people that I have prayed for. Then God reminds me that He will tell me what to do and when to do it. As for my thoughts, He says this to show me how He wants me to think:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8–9)

PRAY: Jesus, there are times for being burdened about the ugly stuff, for thinking about needy folks and doing what I can for them, but I’m not to be driven by a sense of duty, only by what You reveal to me and speak about directly to me. I’m also not to care if others think I’m naive or childish. They simply do not realize the freedom for which You have set me free. Forgive them and even better, show them what it is like to be Your child.

 

Worry = ?

 
Recently someone said that it is normal to worry because we are human and God gave us our human nature. That surprised me. This person knows the Word of God so I responded with: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

While that verse tells us not to worry, I’m thinking about the bigger picture. God did create us with our human nature, yet made in His image. However, at the evil suggestions of Satan in snake disguise, disobedience to God (sin) marred that nature. Since that first sin, all are born with a sin nature and fall short of the glory of God. The NT makes it clear that no one is able to live as God intended. Our spirits are separated from Him. The NT uses the term ‘dead in sin.’ 

God’s redemption plan began immediately with a promise to send a Redeemer. He did. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s solution to the sin problem that ruined our human nature.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Jesus traded His perfect righteousness and took our sin, paying its penalty by dying for us and giving us a new nature. This is not about behavior change. We are forgiven, clean before God, and given a new nature, our spirits made alive to God.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

With a new nature, comes the ability to live a new way. Instead of listening to the world’s way of thinking, or that old nature with its desire to rule, or to the lies of Satan, God gives us the ability to listen to Him and do what He says. That means we need not worry about anything.

However, that old nature is stubborn. Even though it is dead to God, Christians who listen to it instead of the Lord, allow those ‘I wants’ to govern rather than trusting the Lord. We even ask God for things we want without asking for what He wants and then, when no answers come, we start to worry…

Worry has many synonyms. It is giving way to anxiety or unease; allowing one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. It is also fretting, being concerned, agonizing, brooding, feeling panic, losing sleep, getting worked up and in a fluster, overwrought, stressed, torturing oneself, being perturbed, bothered, unsettled, harassed, feeling nerve-racked, upset, traumatized, grave, afraid, and so on. None of these are what God gives us through His Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

The Bible does not include worry as part of a God-directed life because it is not only harmful to us, it hides an important truth. Worry opposes faith and self-effort takes the place of praying. Worry is not believing God will answer our prayers with wisdom and grace but a wasted effort concerning what we want without relying on God. Instead of resting in Him, worry produces such things as lack of sleep, ulcers or headaches.

God knows that if we are united with Him in our inner being, we will certainly do right outwardly. At the same time, He gives much instruction of what comes from flesh, and what is the result of hearing and obeying the Spirit. Worry and anxiety are activities of that old sinful nature while trusting God is enabled by His Spirit. I need to cooperate by recognizing and denying that old nature, and refusing to walk in it. This means being in the Word and obeying it. As some quip, why pray when I can worry?

The Galatian Christians lost sight of how the “new creature” was the only thing that helped them grow in grace. They began with faith but had “fallen from grace” because they chose the “oldness of the letter” to replace “newness of the spirit.”

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).

PRAY: Jesus, keep me walking with You. Warn me when I listen to anyone or anything false. My prayer is for others too — as even those with Your ‘new nature’ can be deceived. Grant each of us discernment quickly whenever we are tempted. Don’t allow deception ruin our walk with You and block that new nature from governing our lives. You are enough for every problem; worry adds nothing. It actually blocks You from shining through our lives.

Not Law but Grace

Legalism describes a method of trying to be right with God by keeping His Law. Keeping the Laws of God is not the problem, but why I do it can be. The Bible says:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)

“You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” (Galatians 5:4)

Under grace, I acknowledge that I cannot save myself. Nothing I do can take away my sin or give me the righteousness necessary to live with God forever. This is made possible only by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He paid my penalty for sin. In Him, I am forgiven, justified, sanctified, given all of who and what He is. If I turn from faith in that gift of salvation, I have stopped believing what God says and started to think that I have what it takes to please God. This is not only false, but vanity.

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question . . . .”

The bottom line of their discussion finally came through Peter who said, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

In the end, they decided to warn those new Gentile believers to stay away from sins that had characterized their pre-Christ lives, but this was not to save them. This particular obedience would make their new life evident (Acts 15:1–21) just as any other Christian would stay away from old sin because they were new creatures with a change of mind about their former sin. In some cases, that former sin might even be the rituals of a religion that could not redeem them!

The Law has a purpose. The ‘rules’ show me that I fall short:

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20)

Trying to fix it on my own, even after I’ve accepted Christ as my Savior, is self-righteousness and reveals pride that goes with it. Instead of becoming more holy, I become a pain in the neck. Not only that, I lose the joy that comes through grace. Serving Christ is motivated by love and is spontaneous. If I switch from that to serve in fear, or a sense of duty, or for any other reason, I lose God’s peace and am generally off-putting to those around me.

As today’s reading says, living by Law breeds pride or fear. I cannot obey it and all my effort to do so produces smug self-righteousness or a deep fear that I will never measure up . . . which is true. Apart from Him, I can do nothing.

As Fortner also says, if I seek acceptance before God in any measure whatsoever upon the basis of the law, I will never be accepted at all. Christ alone is my acceptance before God, my righteousness, sanctification, holiness, redemption and peace. To add anything to His finished work is to make his work vain and useless. Christ will be all, or He will be nothing.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Dear Lord Jesus, You are my Lord and Savior; I am not. Not only is self-saving impossible, it is an insult to what You have done and an insult to the Holy Spirit who uses the Law to show me what I need to confess as sin. Keep my totally aware of how much I depend on You for saving me and keeping me in Your eternal and perfect care.