For unto us a child is born…

 

Some parts of the world devalue children, even use them for selfish gain. One writer remembers being in another country and men on the street offered him 8-9 year old girls for ‘his pleasure’ — and he was horrified.

Jesus valued children. Piper makes a list with verses, first pointing out that Jesus came as a child. I wrote an article called “That perfect Child” exploring the idea of what it might have been like to raise Him. One thing is certain; Jesus knows what it is to be a child.

As an adult, He invited children to Him: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them.… And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.” (Mark 10:14, 16)

He also healed children, cast a demon out of at least one child, and raised another (or more?) from the dead.

Jesus did not ignore the service offered by a boy who offered his lunch so the Lord could feed five thousand people.

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. (John 6:9–10)

He also accepted, even applauded praise from children:  

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “ ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” (Matthew 21:14–16)

I’m horrified too by the abuse of children. Evil people see them as helpless to defend themselves and naive to many dangers around them. Very young children can be easily drawn from safety to grave danger. This gives pause to these words from the Savior:

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and 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. (Matthew 18:2–4)

Does being like a child make adult Christians open to exploitation? Those who think so are foolishly unaware that God protects His people. Not only that, a childlike person is aware of their weaknesses and inabilities and the need to rely on the Lord. A failure to do so can put us in all sorts of dangers. The world is filled with those who take advantage of weakness and the needy. Without the protection of Jesus and the care of other Christians, we could be exploited by spam, or greater abuses, some inflicted by even our own families.

I don’t mind being like a child in that I know who my Father is and know what it means to experience His care. God is not controlling me but I’ve learned that when I step outside of His care to make my own choices and do my own thing, the consequences are never good. Far better to be in His family like a child than to do life thinking I’m all grown up now.

PRAY: Jesus. I don’t remember that my folks ever said, “Oh, grow up” to me when I made decisions as a child. I’m glad for that. I’m also glad that childlike thinking makes trusting You easier. Some think that a willing and obedient child is suffering some sort of emotional abuse, and while that is possible, those children who are confident in the care of their parents have much less difficulty being confident in the care of our Heavenly Father. For this, I also give thanks.

Humble dependence

Last night our daughter and son-in-law went out for a few hours. Despite their vet calling him the happiest dog she has ever seen, their “nearly human” little pooch whined and pined for them the whole time. Not only does this pet depend on them for food, he also depends on them for emotional stability.
 

We don’t have children in the house now. Even our grandchildren are grown up, with the youngest in grade nine. For the most part, their dependence on us has changed from total to very little, if any. So when I read these verses this morning, I thought about this little dog who is so much like a little child . . .

And calling to him a child, (Jesus) put him in the midst of them and 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. (Matthew 18:2–4)

Entrance to the kingdom of God is about humility. At breakfast, I picked up a copy of “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” an old book that is still packaged as good advice. Some of Dale Carnegie’s ideas seem biblical even if the goals are suspect. The first chapter is filled with illustrations of how people refuse to think ill of themselves. Criminals blame others for crimes they call self-defense. Politicians cannot see their blunders and say they did the best they could. In this, Carnegie has seen the truth about sin. One of the first things that it does is makes us blind to its presence.

However, the gospel does what that book would say not to do. It convicts us of sin and says that without the grace of God and His life-changing power, we are lost and doomed. Of course the gospel brings good news too, but first there is bad news that must be humbly admitted.

This is true for that initial conversion to a life of faith, but it is also true for every step of the way in that life. I need God. I cannot do this myself. I am a sinner with a new life, and living that new life takes a great deal of humility, of being willing to say that I need Jesus, of being like a dependent little child.

Oswald Chambers reminds me that when I trust my wits instead of God, then I am responsible for the consequences. He also says that because I have obeyed Him once or ten times, that is no guarantee that I will do it again. The relation of my old life to my new life is one of continuous conversion, and believe me, this is one thing that I do not like. In every setting in which I find myself, the Spirit of God remains unchanged and His salvation unaltered, but we have to “put on the new man” and be filled with the Spirit. Otherwise, I am trusting myself, not God.

  

God holds me responsible every time I refuse to convert myself from trusting me to trusting Him. Why would I refuse doing that? Unlike Carnegie’s advice to never tell others their faults, Chambers calls it like it is; disobedience is willful obstinacy that thinks I know better than God. My pride and my idol-making heart still want to rule.

I am hindered when I refuse to let God continually “convert” my independence and obstinacy. He has given me enough light to realized there are whole tracts of my life that have not yet been brought into subjection. As Chambers pointedly says, this can only be done by continuous conversion. This is discouraging except that Chambers also adds a positive side by adding that those who humble themselves can slowly but surely claim the whole territory for the Spirit of God.

Do not fear, only believe

The word ‘fear’ appears more than 300 times in the New Testament. Some of those instances are commands to fear God. Many of them are telling me not to be afraid of anything else.
 

In one passage, Jesus was speaking to the crowds when the ruler of the synagogue came to Him asking that He heal his sick daughter. However,

While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. (Mark 5:35–42)

Jesus’ words remind me of that silly song, “Don’t worry, be happy” as if just saying it will erase all worries. I can only imagine the fear in this father’s heart when his servants said his little girl was beyond hope, but I cannot imagine what went through his mind when Jesus offers what sounds like a pat answer, a cliché: “Do not fear, only believe” as if the man could turn off his emotions and turn on some faith.

Yet this isn’t the only time Jesus says this to fearful people. When three of His disciples were on the mountain with Jesus and heard a voice from heaven, “they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and have no fear’” (Matthew 17:6–7). Again, can anyone simply get up and turn off their fear?

The same thing happened when the disciples were in a boat during a storm and saw Jesus coming toward them walking on the water. They were terrified, but “immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid’” (Matthew 14:27).

How can a fearful person just turn it off? In my experience, the only people who can do that are those who hear this ‘do not fear’ from someone they totally trust. I’m thinking a small child with its mother. The child is anxious about something but at the reassuring words of a mother who has never lied to him, he becomes calm.

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and 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. (Matthew 18:2–4)

Being like a child is only an example. To turn off fear, I also need the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart and mind, but that is also possible, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). 

Jesus made fearlessness possible. He offers me Himself and His peace to replace fear --- and the privilege of prayer to talk to Him and to access this amazing peace. I do not have to be overcome by anxiety and worry.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5–7)

Today may bring fearful situations, but I do not need to fear. I have challenges looming on the horizon, but I do not need to fear them either. I could make a long list of fearful things as our world is in a mess, but I do not have to be afraid. The One that I totally trust told me so.