"Become like little children"

      He (Jesus) called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." -Matt. 18:33  
      How does a child that is loved come to his daddy? Gladly, willingly, open-handed and open-hearted, trusting, free - we can see the picture of a child's smiling, joyful face, bright eyes, arms outstretched, anxious to be loved, touched, held, and ready to follow.  When do we lose that freshness? How can we regain it in our relationship to our Heavenly Father?  William Wordsworth noted in 1807 that "the world is too much with us"; Jesus stated "you must change...", and so we must if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven.  To live in His presence in the midst of this world requires us to look past the circumstances at Him, just like a little child when daddy comes home - nothing else matters! That blesses the child and blesses the dad!

     In His great goodness and His marvelous plan, our Father God left us His Word that it would be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119:105).  Psalm 100 encourages us in praise and joy and thanksgiving as we come into His presence; let's remember to put this into practice:

"1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations." 


Make a Joyful Noise by Randy Rothwell (click to hear song)