At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Matthew 18:1.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
You have so much more to learn about love. My love for you and what it means to love others. If you think you understand love, you have never known it as you ought.
Many of you, when you hear of the things others are doing or have done for My Kingdom, which sound very great and far-reaching to you, or just hear of others’ success with their finances and careers, you begin to feel deficient and like you have failed Me and have not properly used the gifts I have given you. Many of you equate My acceptance of you and My basis for being pleased with you upon whether you have done enough good works and amazing, successful deeds. You judge yourself by the results of your own works.
But when you do this you fail to understand what really pleases Me. You need to let Me show you in My Word. Not what the world, your flesh and the devil tell you, but the truth of My living and life-giving Word.
Are you ready? And I have the answer for you in a conversation that Jesus had with His disciples in Capernaum. On that day, the disciples had been arguing among themselves as to which one of them was the greatest of all, and this was not the only time they did this.
They had the same problem many of you have with greatness and doing works for Me. They wanted to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. And it is a good desire in many ways to want to focus your life on being sure you will spend eternity in My beautiful Kingdom which I also prepared for with you in mind since the foundation of the world, Matthew 25:34, and in doing good works, but be careful that you are working for My glory and not your own.
Heaven is about the Lamb and what He has done for you, not about you and what you have done for the Lamb. Even all your good deeds are from Me. Ephesians 2:10, John 15:5. It is true you must abide in Me to do them and not receive My grace in vain but be grateful rather than proud. As Paul said, he had worked harder than all the other apostles, but he could not boast about it because it was My grace that enabled him to do so.
Worship is looking at what I have done for you in joyful love and not about what you have done for Me.
Now, back to the disciples’, and your, problem.
On this day, when they began arguing among themselves as to which one of them was the greatest of all, they decided to settle that question once for all and went to Jesus and asked, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Matthew 18:1.
And the response Jesus gave them shocked and amazed them. It was an answer they never expected. Each one was hoping it would be him as one of the twelve since each of them had left everything to follow Him.
Now, act as if you did not know the answer that He gave and ask yourself who you would think was of greatest importance in the Kingdom of Heaven. Perhaps a king like David or the ruler of a nation? A prophet like Elijah? A pastor? A teacher? A military leader? A hero? One who gave his life as a martyr for the preaching of the Gospel in a pagan land? One who converted a nation? One who gives crusades in stadiums and crowds throng to them? One who discovered an amazing cure and won a Noble Peace Prize?
The answer is none of the above. Let Jesus tell you because He only spoke My Words and did My works:
Jesus called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-4.
Why a child? Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings I have perfected praise as strength to take down the enemy.
Jesus had a high regard for children. When the parents would bring their children for Jesus to bless them, His disciples would try to keep them away from Him as unimportant and wasting His time, but Jesus would rebuke that and bid the children come to Him and then He would take them in His arms and bless them. In the hands of the children was the future of the nation.
And in this conversation, He gave a blessing and a stern warning that you would be wise to heed.
And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:5-6.
But there is much more here. Treasures that you need to know for your edification, encouragement, exhortation, and comfort.
The word for “child” used in the original inspired Greek is “paidion,” which means a little child, an infant, a little one, perhaps seven years old or younger—a little child in training.
Sound strange? Not really.
First, I will ask you a question. When is it that parents enjoy their children the most and later look back with longing, wishing they could have that time again? Is it when they are far away, or even close by, as a grown up, successful business person or even a college student, no longer feeling dependent on the parent, very busy with their own interests and accomplishments without much time to spend with the parent? Or is it when they are little children holding the hands of their parents, climbing in their lap, sleeping in their arms in complete peace, enjoying the treats and activities the parents do just for them, playing and laughing and making life new and fresh for the parent too, and looking to the parents for all the day for their needs with confidence as they look to see what good thing the parent has for them each day?
And for those who are not parents, in a crowd or just among family and friends, which person makes everyone smile and laugh, and get very gooey? A very little child or a baby. You will look at a little child who is happy and playful and so enthusiastic about life, and just want to hug him or her. A little child can climb in your lap and fit there very nicely. In fact, you will pick up a little one and hold him or her in your lap and to your heart. Especially when they are crying and need comfort. And when one runs to you with arms wide open looking for a big hug, you are thrilled. Not for any great work they did but for their little innocent love as they scream with delight to see you and peek expectantly into your handbag to see what treat you brought to them.
Let Me put your troubled and fearful hearts at rest. Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a reason I call Myself your Father. There is a reason I call you My child. And that is when My heart sings over you and I hold you in My loving, everlasting arms. Just look to Me each day as the Father who loves you above all fathers and is well pleased the smaller and more dependent on Me you know you are.
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” Psalm 50:15.
I am looking for a family all My own. My little children who delight each day before Me in all the good things I put in the earth for you to enjoy richly. I am looking for those that are not so wrapped up in their works and needs that they have time for Me. I am looking for children who run to Me in every hurt, care and in every success and laugh with pure joy as I catch them up to My cheeks and kiss them with the sweet kisses of My mouth. I am looking for children that share everything they are thinking about with Me, question Me about everything that concerns them, and let Me take care of all their needs according to My riches in Christ Jesus.
It is not you who chose Me. It is I who chose you. I want you to be as happy and carefree as a little child who has the most loving of Fathers and just to do each day the good things I have prepared for you in advance. And just like a parent makes known very clearly to the child what to do and supplies what the child needs to do it, so will I for you, My dear children. And when the parent knows the little child needs to go someplace, the parent just takes the child by the hand and leads them, or puts them in the car and drives there. The parent does not ask the child to direct, just to follow and stay close.
And so it is with Me. Those who are My children, are led by My Spirit. Be led. Don’t worry about tomorrow, I will show you how to do what you need to do now that will give you the best of tomorrows.
And imitate Me, as My dear little children, and walk in love.
I would also remind you that at the inspiration of My Holy Spirit, My servant Paul once wrote that in regard to evil you should be infants, but in your thinking you should be adults. 2 Corinthians 14:20. This gives you an indication of what I am talking about when I say that no matter what your age, you must be converted and be like little children to enter My Kingdom, so let us go further into this unusual command.
Little children have certain characteristics that I would like you to keep all your life that gain access to My Kingdom. Let Me list them for you:
Little children trust. They do not worry about provision. They live in their parents’ love, for it is their parents who pay the rent, the food and clothing bills, the medical bills, the education bills, and all the entertainment bills. And it is the parents who see to it that their children are properly clothed and fed. Children rest in and abide in their parents’ love without fear and with trust.
Children enjoy life and are excited about things.
Little children do not look back but look forward, and they look forward with joyful expectation for good things to come.
They know they are not their own source, they know if they want something they have to ask for it as their resources are very limited, but this does not bother them or stop them from obtaining what they need.
They are friendly and do not have prejudice.
They laugh a lot.
They notice things like flowers, birds, and butterflies that adults often miss.
They are open to new ideas and can change.
They are pure.
And they know they are not the boss.
And how do you, at the place you are at in your life now, turn and become like a little child? Look at My Word on this. I tell you that you must humble yourself to do that. Humble is the opposite of proud. It means you know that you are not your own source, that I am the source of all that is good in you. Your talents, your prosperity, your healing, your protection, your wisdom, your very being and power to function and breathe—they all depend on Me. I sustain your every breath and your every heart beat. Without Me, you can do nothing. But with Me you can do all things. And the good news is that you do not have to do anything without Me but all things with Me! I am present as your helper, a very present help in time of distress.
And you will serve without thinking any work is too far beneath you. A little child never thinks he is too good to do what the parent tells him to do.
I once told the Israelites that when they entered the land I had given them and took the homes they did not build and the vineyards they did not plant, and had their fill of good things and prosperity, they were not to forget Me who had given those things to them, but to rejoice in Me and stay loyal to Me in the times of plenty. They were to remember who it was that was the Source of their good and to value our relationship. But, instead they would often turn away to their own pursuits and worship other gods, mere idols, and forget Me and forsake My commands. They would begin to feel self-sufficient and believe they were their own source and had no more need of Me.
But little children are not like that. They know they are not their own source. They do not work for what they have, they know it is their parent that is the one who provides all they have and they look to the parent as their source. But this does not bother them, they love it. When they have a trouble or a hurt, they run to their mama or daddy for comfort, for the solution, and for the cure. And they know mama or daddy can take care of it. They know how to cast all their cares on the parent and then not worry about it any further.
Children do not stay angry long or remember the evil or offense given them. They are quick to be playing again with the one who just caused some tears without any remembrance of the anger, their anger is gone quickly—just like a cloud passing across the sunny sky that for a moment casts a shadow as it covers the sun.
And children enjoy things that are given to them. They do not reject them but receive them and partake of them! They know how to have fun– even just kicking a ball around or chasing each other. They will even ball up a piece of paper and enjoying batting it to each other if they have no ball. And they laugh. They run. They dance when you play music.
So many of you who are adults, and even teenagers, have lost your joy. You have listened to the world and thought you were out there alone and everything is up to you. You have forgotten that you are not your own source. You have forgotten that you have an all powerful Father who is the source of everything good. Every good and perfect gift comes from Me and I delight in giving those good things to My children who ask Me for them.
And above all, you have forgotten, or you just never realized, how much your Father loves you and wants to give you good things. You have a Father who wants you to come to Him and cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you. You have a Father who has the solution to everything since the foundation of the world if you will just listen to what He tells you to do and if you will let Him do it through you. You have a Father who will never leave you or forsake you. You have a Father who forgives you every time you turn to Him and repent and remembers your sin no more. You have a Father who is slow to anger and does not take offense.
And here you know the secret of how you can find it easy to humble yourself and become like a little child. It is by coming to know Me as your Father and opening your eyes to the immensity of what I have made, Who I am, and what I have done for you in Christ Jesus. It is by reading My Word, My love letter to you, which I write in your heart, and learning to lean on Me all the time. It is learning to enjoy Me and rejoice in the abundance of things I fill your life with. It is drawing close to the One who made you, the source of your very existence, and trusting that I want to supply not only for all your needs but also to give you your heart’s desires. It is living in confidence and in peace because you know the ultimate responsibility for the things in your life that you need and want is not with you but with One who loves you and for Whom nothing is impossible. It is seeing that you are a very small soul in the vast universe but that you are very important and very valuable to Me. That I planned your life before the foundation of the world and gave you fingerprints, the iris color in your eyes, your voiceprint, and DNA that no one else has or ever will have. And by My Spirit I live in and with you, so you have a very BIG God in you that created, sustains and controls the universe who loves you and empowers you to do all things. I empower you to prosper, but this is not of yourself but of Me. Deuteronomy 8:17-19.
When you really know Me, it is easy to be like a little child with Me because you know that is who you are. And it is a wonderful place to be. It will restore the joy of your youth. Carefree days are here again. But this time with a Father filled with more love and power than any earthly father could ever be– a Father who is love itself.
I love you. Cast all your care on Me. I am your source and I never run out of glorious abundance. And I will take care of you—forever. To Me, you are the most important person in the world. Do you not perceive it?