faith like a child

Faith like a child...

We need to quit looking at life like an adult and see it through the eyes of a child. How does a child see the world? Play hard. Laugh much. Leave worries to God. Be excited about what each new day brings. Jesus says that we must have "faith like a child" to enter the kingdom of heaven. He says we must throw down worries and cast off the strangling noose of sin. We must be care-free in the arms of God. This is what Jesus came for. He came to give us life, and life in its fullest. He made it simple, easy. Some say that being a Christian is hard work-it's not meant to be!

Most find Christianity complicated, hard, and stressful. Maybe you've baked, visited, volunteered, taught. But instead of rest--as Jesus promised--you've only gotten stress. And now maybe you're puzzled because Jesus said you should feel at peace and, to put it frankly, peace is the last thing you're going through.

People are hungry for spirituality. This is how God made us. People are hungry from Jesus. One man went to work with two Christian men from different denominations; both tried to win him over, but he admitted, "I don't want religion. I only want Jesus." We are told to leave the cluttered world of humanity, to enter the sane and safe garden of religion. And these same people tell us to, "Step right up to the Church of Heavenly Hope of High Angels and Happ Hearts...", or, "We teach salvation by sanctification which leads to purification and stabilization. That is, unless, you prefer the track of predestination..." Or, "Try our premillennial, non-charismatic, Calvanistic Creed on for size..." What happened to the longing for God, the simple faith that Jesus shouts? What happened to having faith like a child?

In Matthew 23, we find Jesus in a rage against those who have turned faith into a business. Six times Jesus calls the religious leaders hypocrites; five times he says they are blind; seven times he denounces them, and once he prophesies their ruin. He realized what was going on. People were turning faith into something it really wasn't. And it made Jesus FURIOUS. Read it yourself. See how angry he was. Taste his wrath for yourself. He understood--and didn't take it lightly. He spoke out against this 'complicated' and wrong religion. Jesus tells us to discover truth for ourselves, to develop trust for ourself, and to discern God's will for our lives. He says it is personal; a relationship. Faith. Not a business.

Some position themselves between us and God, suggesting the only way to get to God is through them. Some say they are the great teacher who has the final word on Bible teaching, or the father who must bless your acts, or the priest with whom you must clear your conscience... These are people who turn God into black-and-white, a hierarchy of who-is-closer-to-God, not a relationship based on who-you-are, but who-you-know. These people turn God into a formula. But he isn't a formula--he is a person, he is creative, he is wild and wonderful, and desires us to simply run with him.

Seek God for yourself. No confusing ceremonies necessary. No mysterious rituals required. No elaborate channels of command or levels of access. Seek God for yourself.

Have a Bible? Study it!
Have a heart? Pray!
Have a mind? Think!

Play hard. Laugh much. Leave your worries to God. Wake up expectant of every day.
A relationship with God isn't complicated. It isn't confusing. It isn't anti-personal. It is one-on-one. It is love. It is grace. It is mercy. It is understanding. It's personal. It's real. It's simple. My friends, it is JESUS.

faith like a child