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Luke 18:17 - Enter The Kingdom Of God As A Little Child.

Luke 18:17 - Enter The Kingdom Of God As A Little Child.

Luke 18:17 (NIV)  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not 
receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. 

CONTEXT: The Little Children and Jesus: (Luke 18:15-17).

APPLICATION COMMENTARY - With Emphasis On Verse 17.

Like A Little Child: With total dependence, full trust, frank 
openness and complete sincerity. [NIV SB]  

It was customary for a mother to bring her children to a rabbi 
for a blessing, and that is why these mothers gathered around Jesus. 
The disciples, however, thought the children were unworthy of the 
Master's time--less important than whatever else he was doing. But Jesus 
welcomed them, because little children have the kind of faith and trust 
needed to enter God's kingdom. It is important that we introduce our 
children to Jesus and that we ourselves approach him with childlike 
attitudes of acceptance, faith, and trust.  [Life Application SB]  

The incident is purposely sandwiched between stories of two 
adults who sought entrance into God's kingdom, one by religious works 
and the other by good deeds. Here the significant aspect of little 
childness is dependence. No little child expects his own effort will 
provide him with even food or shelter. As a little child depends on his 
parents for everything, so we are to depend on God for entrance into His 
kingdom. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

  Bedtime is a bad time for kids. No child understands the logic 
of going to bed while there is energy left in the body or hours 
left in the day. 
  My children are no exception. A few years ago, after many 
objections and countless groans, the girls were finally in their gowns, in 
their beds, and on their pillows. I slipped into the room to give them 
a final kiss. Andrea, the five-year-old, was still awake, just 
barely, but awake. After I kissed her, she lifted her eyelids one final 
time and said, "I can't wait until I wake up." 
  Oh, for the attitude of a five-year-old! That simple 
uncluttered passion for living that can't wait for tomorrow. A philosophy of 
life that reads, "Play hard, laugh hard, and leave the worries to 
your father." A bottomless well of optimism flooded by a perpetual 
spring of faith. Is it any wonder Jesus said we must have the heart of 
a child before we can enter the kingdom of heaven. [Grace For The 
Moment SB By Max Lucado re Luke 18:16, 17] 

  When children discover a new treasure, they are not content to 
simply look at it. They touch, smell, and explore it With wide-eyed 
delight they share the treasure with others. Even if the "treasure" is a 
creepy crawling insect or a wide-eyed toad, it's beautiful to the one 
who found it As adults we sometimes miss the joy of experiencing the 
treasures that surround us, One of those treasures is our faith. As time 
passes, we might forget our first love for God or even take our faith 
for granted. Our lives become busy and complicated, and it becomes 
easy to get caught up in what we think are more "important" matters. 
Sometimes we intellectualize the Bible or our relationship with God and 
completely miss the simplicity and beauty of it. 
  The excitement and joy of new believers is like that of a 
child who has discovered a treasure. They marvel at it, delight in it, 
and can't help but share it with others. Revisit the moment you 
accepted Christ as your Savior and ask God to restore the excitement of 
your first love for him. [Praying Through The Bible By Fuller re Luke 
18:16, 17] 

Children are naturally given to trusting, and God wants our 
relationship with him to be driven by that kind of simple trust.  Any other 
kind of "faith" is inappropriate, unnatural, and ineffective.  If we 
find ourselves unable to trust, it may be helpful for us to 
understand the hurts in our past that make it so difficult to do this.  
Childlike faith is itself a gift from God that may take time for him to 
restore in us, especially if we have been abused (spiritually 
emotionally, sexually, or physically).  In recovery we are told to keep it 
simple; a simple faith in an almighty God is what we need for a 
successful recovery.  [Life Recovery SB] 

  "Trust and obey, for there's no other way
  To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
  All too often we glibly sing the words of this familiar 
Christian hymn without giving them much thought.  These important words 
convey exactly what the Bible teaches.  The secret of spiritual 
happiness and blessing is simply trusting and obeying the Lord.... The 
divine method for happiness and blessing is full trust in God and 
complete obedience to His Word.  Lack of faith and partial obedience not 
only result in unhappiness and loss of blessing; they bring serious 
consequences in the life of the believer. 
  The Bible contains many passages that teach the 
trust-and-obey-for-happiness principle (see Psa.119, for instance).  In addition, many 
character studies from the Scriptures illustrate this same truth.  Jacob 
is one such example.  Jacob was a believer who had to learn over 
and over again throughout his life that halfway trust and obedience 
do not bring happiness and blessing.....  
  God had stated in no uncertain terms His promises to Jacob, 
and yet Jacob had the audacity to hold back with an "if" type of 
faith and obedience.  But let's not mock Jacob's faith and obedience 
before we examine our own.  Can we say without reservation that we 
simply trust and obey, or must we confess that we selfishly bargain 
with God?... 
  God does not expect us to question or change or compromise His 
commands; He expects us to simply trust Him and obey Him.  That's the only 
way to find spiritual blessing and happiness.  David Reid [Time With 
God SB] 

We don't need to be Bible scholars or experts to inherit the 
kingdom of God; all we need is childlike faith--pure and simple. [The 365 
Daily Promise Bible By Barbour re Luke 18:16, 17] 

Grace Notes:
http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php

A Better Way to Live:
http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/

Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/

More Spiritual Resources:
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