Being like a child?

 

From a human perspective, it seems that following Jesus is a decision we make. However the Bible teaches that this is a decision that God the Father makes. He reveals Christ to those He will save, and Christ reveals the Father to those chosen ones and the Holy Spirit calls them into the fold. The process of hearing His call and responding is something we do, but it begins and happens because of what He has done.

The ‘self’ in me likes to take credit for whatever good things I do. This makes it easy to say, “I accepted Christ” when the reality is that Christ accepted me and called me. Does He call everyone? I don’t know the hearts and spiritual happenings in others, only what the Word of God says. First, it says these things about the work of God to reach out to me. . . .

For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (1 Corinthians 4:7)
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11:25–27)

Do those verses give any answers? Do they suggest that those who think they know all things and think they are wise will not hear or pay attention to the call of God? Doing that requires being receptive — like a child. As Jesus said I must be like a child to enter His kingdom.

Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Luke 18:16–17)

It says ‘like a child’ but not ‘childish’ — meaning humble, trusting, curious, not self-centered and demanding. A child turns to others for help, is open about needs and does not assume he knows everything. A childlike person will respond to Jesus’ invitation, listen for His voice, and follow what He says.

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)
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)

Being a child is easy for some, but more difficult for those who are governed by pride and an enlarged sense of their own importance. Jesus is not talking about a self-indulgent, spoiled brat, but a little one who is surprised and thankful for every blessing. He does not mean one who is anxious to be the best and wants everything he or she sees, but one willing to please and even work hard. I look around, even look in the mirror and seldom see childlike people. Most have a personal agenda for all that they do and I must admit that selfishness can creep into my motivations. Childlike or not, the bottom line is this:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

PRAY: We all fall short, Lord Jesus. It is easy to pat myself on the back, or at least focus on what I want for my days, even what I want to think about, or to indulge in. I know that whatever I do ought to be for Your glory. That is a simple command, but far from simple in obeying it. Increasing numbers in my birthdays aside, I need to be more like a child.

 

God’s Unsearchable Ways

The Bible is clear that no one will seek God. As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10–12) Yet in some mysterious way, God elects some for salvation and not others.

Today’s devotional tries to reconcile this mystery by saying that God will reveal the gospel to those He chooses with irresistible power causing them to believe in Christ, but “all others will be left to perish in their chosen ignorance.”

However, this reasoning does not work for me. If all are unrighteous and will not seek God, then this is also true of those who eventually believe. That is, I lived in ‘chosen ignorance’ too, so why then would God save me and not leave me that way like others who are the same?

The Bible says that God told Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” This means my salvation is not about my will (or my won’t) nor on my efforts (or lack thereof), but on God, who has mercy." (Romans 9:15–16) Why me and not some others?

I cannot say God picks some and not others because of what we can do, but I also cannot say that God is capricious, selecting this and not that because of whatever mood strikes Him. He is not like that. The basis of His selection is grace and mercy, but it is also a mystery.

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Romans 11:33)

It seems to me that faith is trusting God even when His workings do not have answers. It also seems to me that when I simply trust Him, He sometimes may show me the answers, not because I am smart or wise, but because I am content to trust Him without trying to figure it out, content to let His ways remain beyond me. As I write this, I’m reading today’s verses and am humbled . . .

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 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 11:25–30)

For most of my life, knowing things has been an important value, but lately I’m learning that academia and IQ are not nearly so important as trusting Jesus, whether it is with the knowns or the unknowns. His knowledge is incredible and I trust Him. Knowing Him is sufficient.

“The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.” (Psalm 147:2–6)

^^^^^^^

Jesus, I still tense up a bit when someone treats me as if I don’t know anything, or if my understanding is challenged, but more and more I am content to be like a child holding the hand of my Father. You know the way I am going, and that is enough for me. Besides, that path proves to have far more revealed treasures than anything I could find or figure out for myself.

Illumination comes from the Holy Spirit . . .

Today’s devotional reading logs in as a pro-hyper-Calvinism vs. Arminianism, a debate that has gone on for centuries. Theologians cannot agree even though supporters on each side think their view is the correct view. I prefer to read devotionally rather than gnaw away at an issue that divides and look for something God wants me to understand and apply to my life.

For this, the last five verses in the reading did just that. While there are differing ways to interpret these words, in their context they speak to our human problem of not wanting to listen to God and the eventual judgment on those who persist in exalting themselves instead of the Lord:

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 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 11:25–30)

God calls those who understand them “little children” and I’m thinking why does He do that? Is it because little children know how to live in carefree dependence? When loved and cared for by parents who are wise and kind, these little ones are not burdened by anything too weighty for them. They know not to pick up something too heavy or stress over things beyond their understanding. For them, life is mostly play.

For many, we ‘out-grow’ childhood and begin to question things, gripe about life’s perplexities and discomforts, and are never satisfied. We get suborn about change and refuse to go back to the that child-like faith that carries very light burdens.

This is a choice. To take the yoke with Jesus means trusting Him as I would trust a loving parent. As a child, I never worried about anything. I’m to live in Christ the same way. He knows all the answers and takes care of everything. I don’t have to know or carry more than I can handle. He carries all the burdens that are too heavy for me. Also, He can reveal or not reveal; I don’t have to try to figure out the tough stuff with my tiny brain. If it is for me to know, He will show me.

Not only that, I’ve learned that when God reveals a truth, I do not need to ‘prove it’ to others, or debate it, or argue my point. I used to think I could convince others by rhetoric, but know better, mostly because God has shown me that my arguments are usually evidence that my source of whatever point I’m trying to make does not come from the Spirit of God, but from my flawed human reasoning. When God says something, I don’t have to prove it, just quietly believe it and obey what He wants me to do.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, You always declared truth without getting into any “I touched you last” debates. You knew what was from Your Father. That was enough for You. You lived like a child depending on his parents and carried only the burdens You were given. In that frame of mind, You could deal with everything that came at You, including the challenges of the Pharisees, who by the way, never could get the best of You. You not only gave them wise and simple answers to their ‘difficult’ questions, but also realized there is no point in debating or that insisting other people have the same knowledge that You have. It comes through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and because that is what they needed, You joyfully didn’t bother with any debates.

God answers prayer, even if He says NO

Last week’s assignments included a post to a student discussion board in which we were to answer one of two imaginary problems. I submitted my answer, fully expecting the marking professor to give it a critique. At the same time, I was feeling discouraged about life in general and asked God to encourage me. This week, two classmates sent emails about my post. Both were blessed by it, and one said he was going to “steal, repackage, and recycle” it in his own ministry.

For those who think prayer is “wishful thinking” or auto-suggestion, I say, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry” and “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:15-17)

(Before going farther on the topic of prayer, being righteous is first forensic. I can claim it because of God’s grace; He imputed the righteousness of Jesus Christ on me. Because He died for my sin, was buried, and rose again, God declares His people justified, righteous. It isn’t about anything we earn or deserve; salvation is first a gift from God even as He afterwards works in us to conform us to that imputed righteousness. This is totally astonishing and a blessing I do not deserve.)

Answered prayer is another undeserved blessing. My Father hears me like a daddy hears his little one. He shows me how to pray, and shows me that it is His delight to take care of my needs, even the need to be encouraged.

Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 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 11:25–30)

Jesus invites me to bring to Him the burdens of life. He hears and answers. Sometimes He says wait. Sometimes He says no if my request is not His will or will not be a good thing. Sometimes He says yes, even yes, yes, in the most resounding way. But whatever He says, key to answered prayer is accepting His answers.

As His crucifixion drew near, Jesus prayed asking “if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.” He was in great distress for He was about to bear the wrath of His Father against the sin of the world, all of it, sin by every person, and sin for all time. I know what I feel like when I sin. I cannot imagine the weight of sin that Jesus anticipated.

No wonder He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” No wonder He was disappointed that the disciples slept instead of supporting Him with their prayers. No wonder that He prayed this request several times. Yet in the end, they slept and He, sweating drops of blood, willingly faced the answer alone. (Matthew 26:36–46)

The Bible says I have never shed blood resisting sin like Jesus did. My problems and discouragements are not worthy to be compared to His. My on-and-off loyalty to the Father is a joke alongside the life of the Son. He was willing to hear God say no.

With that, His three-time request was answered, but not like anyone would expect or want. How could the will of God be suffering and death for the only righteous person who ever lived? But it was. To the cry of Jesus, His only begotten Son, the Father did say NO, it is not my will to deliver You . . .  

It was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:10)

Sometimes God does not seem to answer my prayers. Of course, I’m looking for a yes, not a wait or a no, but I am encouraged that God knows more than I do about the situation I’m in, even the circumstances of every child of His, any person on my prayer list. If He remains silent, I’m glad that He can use all things for good and that even the setbacks of life will fit into His plans. After all, out of the “unanswered” prayer of Jesus came salvation for humanity — for all who believe, even for me.