Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Coming to God as a Child (Part 1): Pure Motives

By David Ryser

The look on my young daughter’s face pierced my heart.  She stood there looking at the coin in her hand.  Then she looked up at me.  The look on her face was one of sadness and disappointment.  She was insulted!

I had not intended to insult her.  My intention had been to bless her.  What had gone wrong?

When our children were small, my wife and I would give them age-appropriate chores to do.  These consisted mainly of picking up their toys and their clothes.  As a reward for doing their assigned tasks, we would pay them a small allowance each week.  They were required to save half of their allowance.  The other half was theirs to spend as they wished.  As their money would accumulate to a certain amount, we would go to the bank and the toy store.

It seemed like a good plan for teaching our children about responsibility, saving money, and the rewards of work.  And the plan worked…most of the time.

On this particular day, our daughter had done some extra work on her own that was in addition to her regular chores.  And she was so proud!  She excitedly came to me wanting to show me what she had done.  As I surveyed the results of her work, I wanted her to know how pleased I was.

So I decided to reward her.

I reached into my pants pocket, fished out a quarter, and handed it to her.  As she took the coin, her face fell.  Her smile disappeared.  She looked as though I had just slapped her.  I thought she was going to cry.

And God spoke to me.

In Luke 18:15-17 (see also Mark 10:13-16), Jesus was busy teaching concerning the Kingdom of God.  As He was teaching, people brought infants and children to Him in order for Him to touch them.  When His disciples objected, Jesus rebuked them.  He told them to allow the children to come to Him.

Then Jesus said something unexpected.

He said, “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; Mark 10:15).  That’s Bible-talk for, “Listen up!  I’m not kidding!  If you don’t receive the kingdom of God like a small child, it will be impossible for you to enter it!”

Look it up for yourself.  It’s right there…in plain Greek.

What does it mean to receive the Kingdom of God like a small child?  As a parent--and now as a grandparent--I’ve had ample opportunity to observe little children.  One thing I’ve noticed about them is that their motives are purer than the motives of adults.

When small children do something to please you, they don’t do it for pay.

When my daughter showed me her handiwork, all she wanted was my attention.  She wanted me to be excited about what she had done.  She wanted me to praise her.  She wanted me to express my approval of her.

She didn’t want a stupid quarter.

I realized my mistake immediately, but it was too late.  I showered my praise and approval on her.  But the moment was lost.  I had ruined it.

I would give anything to have that moment back.

Small children don’t want your stuff nearly as much as they want you.  They want your time.  They want your attention.  They want just to be with you.  The greatest gift you can give to a small child is the gift of yourself.

So how does this correspond to our relationship with God?

Too many times we serve God for the wrong reasons.  We pray only when we want something.  We give because we’ve been told that God will give back to us a hundred-fold.  We live the Christian life because we want to go to heaven when we die.

And then we wonder….

We wonder why God seems to be so far away.  Why we so rarely experience His presence.  Why we are never intimate with Him.  Why we feel so empty when we have everything we need in abundance.

Perhaps we should examine our motives.

Do we love God, or do we love the things He gives to us?  Do we serve God just to get His blessings?  Is hearing His approving “Well done!” our greatest joy in life?  Are our motives for loving and serving God as pure as those of a small child?

They had better be.

If we do not receive the Kingdom of God as a small child, we will not enter it.  We will not know the fullness of Kingdom living.  We won’t experience the delight of being in the presence of our heavenly Father and simply enjoying Him.  Can’t we forget about the things God has given to us long enough just to be with Him?

So what do we want?  Do we want God and His Kingdom?  Or will we settle for a quarter?

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

No comments:

Post a Comment