…”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.” (Matthew 18:3 NKJV)
“Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Luke 18:17 NKJV)
“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ‘let the children come to me, 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.’ And he took them, laying hands on them.” (Mark 10:13-16 ESV)
So far, in thinking about Jesus admonition to be like a child in order to enter fully into the experience of the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, I have talked about the characteristics of childlike faith being…
…Natural – it simply flows naturally without the child trying to work it up or build it.
…Innocent – there is no skepticism or guardedness based on past hurts or disappointments.
…Simple – a child does not overthink or unecessarily complicate things.
…Pure – even in a fallen sinful state, a child carries an innate purity which can be sensed and seen by all.
Today, let’s ponder the fact that childlike faith is unconditional. None of my children crawled up to me and uttered the following as their first sentence, “I am never going to place my faith in you again Daddy because you failed me yesterday.” At our youngest age we don’t hold grudges. We don’t make a list of conditions to give to those with whom we have relationships. We don’t place requirements on our faith.
I remember my granddaughter coming home from school one day and telling me about her new friend. The next day she came home to report that this girl was no longer her friend. She did somethng unforgiveable. The following day she came home and when asked how her day went she quickly shared that this same girl was now her best friend. She didn’t hold a grudge, didn’t hold back trust, or refuse to place her faith in their friendship. No, she was demonstrating the trait of unconditional faith, love, trust, etc… (and this was without even knowing that she was doing it).
When I realize that God is Love I rest in knowing that He will never harm or hurt me. When I understand that God is Good I have confidence that regardless of what I am currently experiencing He wants only the best for me. When I remove all conditions from my faith in Him I become like a child and begin to experience all of the benefits of His Kingdom in my life today.
The good news is that My Daddy (my Heavenly Abba Father) practices what He preaches and is full of all of these childlike characteristics. Even better news is that He will share them with me and by His Spirit empower me to live them in order to meet His expectations. When God gives me a test He gives me the answers and then takes the test with me. Through Jesus, my reborn, newly created spirit is fully able to live by unconditional faith. Knowing this motivates me to further consider…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 310: The Faith of a Child: What’s it Look Like? – Part 6 – It’s “Unconditional”