Coming to God as a Child (Part 4): Total Dependency

By David Ryser

In Matthew 18:1, Jesus’ disciples came to Him asking Him to settle a dispute.  They wanted to know how to be great in the Kingdom.  Jesus called a little child and set him in their midst (18:2).  Then He told them that they had to become like little children to enter the Kingdom (18:3).  And they had to humble themselves like a little child to become great in the Kingdom (18:4).

Did this settle the dispute?  Not according to Luke 22:24.

What is it about little children that makes them great in their fathers’ eyes?  There are a number of characteristics of little children that fit into this category.  One is that they know they are totally dependent upon their parents.

And they have no pride.

What parent has not experienced a day when their child exhibited less than ideal behavior?  In fact, the child may have been a little rat all day.  The parent may have reached for the telephone book in an attempt to contact an exorcist.  It was a rough day.

So what happened at suppertime?

When the child was served, what did the child do?  Did the child pull up to the table with a contrite look on his face and say, “Father, I’ve been a bad child today.  I am unworthy to partake of the food you have provided for me.  I am ashamed to eat.”

Certainly not!

That little rascal takes his seat at the table and piles the food onto his plate.  Then he begins to devour his food like a hunger-crazed timber wolf.  No apology.  No remorse.  No offer to pay for the food.  (Or the dinnerware.  Or the furniture.  Or the utilities. Or anything else.)  Does this child have no pride?

Bingo!

Little children have no pride.  They partake of the things you provide for them without regard for their behavior.  They instinctively know that they are entitled to your provision just because they are part of the family.

Somehow they know that receiving the things you have provided for them is based upon your goodness.  And not theirs.

Do we know this about God?

And this goes to the heart of the disciples’ dispute…and Jesus’ answer.

Whether we realize it or not, we are totally dependent upon God.  Everything we are and everything we have is a gift from God.  The very air we breathe is a gift from God.  Our next heartbeat is dependent upon the benevolence of God.

There is nothing we can give to God that was not His to begin with.  So what can we do for God that will bless Him?  What can we give to God that will touch His heart?

Consider again the small child.

Imagine your young child comes to you asking for some money to buy paper and crayons.  You give the money to the child.  The child buys a tablet and a box of crayons.  Then the child takes a piece of paper and his crayons, and draws a picture.  He brings the picture to you and says, “I drew this picture for you.  I love you, daddy/mommy!”

What does that do to your heart?  How do you react?

Do you say, “Oh for crying out loud!  I don’t want that!  I paid for that paper and those crayons!  You haven’t given me anything!  And it’s not even a good picture!”?

Of course not.

Your heart swells with joy.  Tears come to your eyes.  You say, “Thank you for the picture!  I love you, too, sweetheart!”  You receive the picture as you would a priceless treasure.  You display it for everyone to see…not because it is great art, but because it is an expression of your precious child’s love for you.

Is God any different?

Is there anything we can do for God that He cannot do for Himself?  Is there anything we can give to God that He cannot give to Himself?

Yes. Our Love.

God does not make us love Him. True intimacy requires the willing participation of another. He will not force us to love Him.

If God is going to receive this love, it must come from us.

We were created in the image of God to be in a love relationship with Him.  The Bible is full of examples that illustrate this truth.  But it is perhaps expressed no clearer than in Genesis 3:9.  Adam has sinned and is hiding from the presence of God.  Fellowship with God has been broken.

How will God react?  What will He say?

“Where are you?”  This is not a geography examination.  God knows where Adam is…and what he is wearing.  This is the cry of a Father’s heart when fellowship with a beloved child has been broken.

No lecture…not yet.  Just the cry of a broken heart.

So let’s enter and live in God’s kingdom as little children.  Let’s live confidently in total dependency upon God and His goodness.  Let’s receive His love and provision, and give Him the only thing we can give to Him--our love.

And when we obey and serve Him, let it be because we are loved…and because we love.

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

Coming to God as a Child (Part 3): I Can!

By David Ryser

In one of his books, author Robert Fulghum makes an interesting observation about children.  If you go into a kindergarten classroom and ask “Who can sing?” or “Who can dance?” virtually all of the children raise their hands.  If you ask the same questions in a high school classroom, only a few of the students will raise their hands.

Why?  And what does this have to do with the Kingdom of God?

In Luke 18:17 (cf. Mark 10:15), Jesus said that it is impossible for someone to enter the Kingdom of God unless they receive it like a little child.  As Fulghum noted, little children have not yet become jaded by life.  They believe they can sing.  They believe they can dance.  They believe they can do anything they have not yet been told they cannot do.

They believe they can!  And they are right.

The fact is, everyone can sing and dance.  I may not be able to sing like a recording artist or dance like Fred Astaire, but I can sing and dance.  If I don’t sing and dance because I don’t have professional talent, I will never sing or dance.  Or play golf.  Or swim.  Or play a musical instrument.

Or minister….

What if the church I attend has a worship team or a choir?  Should I stop worshiping because I’m not talented enough?  Should I not spread the Gospel because there are professional preachers who are more eloquent than I?  Should I stop ministering God’s power to people because there are healing evangelists and miracle workers?

The obvious answer is, “Of course not!”  Just because I’m not a professional, I am not disqualified from worshiping, witnessing, and ministering.

But it’s more complicated than that.

What happens when I have tried and failed?  How do I react then?  Do I run off and hide like Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-10)?  Or do I react like a little child?

Small children not only believe they can do anything; they are not discouraged by failure.

Consider a toddler who is learning to walk.  How do children learn to walk?  They learn to walk by falling down…a lot.  Sometimes they fall on the padding God gave them.  But sometimes they fall awkwardly and even hurt themselves.

But they keep trying until they succeed.

Imagine if toddlers were like adults.  They would try to walk and then fall over.  Then they would say, “This walking stuff is not for me!  I tried it, and it doesn’t work!  I’m never going to do that again!”

The child would never learn how to walk.  Mothers would be lugging around twenty-five-year-old children.  It’s absurd!

But we do the very same thing in the spirit.  We fail in some way and quit.  We leave the advancement of God’s kingdom to the professionals.  We even pay them to be spiritual for us.

After all, the pastor can pray better than I can.  And counsel and comfort others better than I can.  And hear from God better than I can.

Little children are not like this.

Juan Carlos Ortiz tells a marvelous story about children and the Father’s heart.  When he would travel in ministry, he would often be gone from home for an extended time.  His wife would write to him regularly and let him know what was going on back at home.  Each of the children would also enclose a one-page letter.  The youngest child was a toddler who had not yet learned how to write.

But that didn’t discourage him.

The youngest child would take a crayon and scribble on a piece of paper to send to his dad.  When Pastor Ortiz would receive the letter from home, he treasured the scribbling of the toddler every bit as much as the letters from his other children.  Each was an expression of love for their father.  Each was equally precious to him.

Pastor Ortiz equated this with worship.

He began by saying, “I play a little guitar.”  Saying “I play a little guitar” is a lot like saying, “I do a little brain surgery.”  It means he’s not very good at it.  But that didn’t stop him from playing his guitar and pouring out his love for his heavenly Father by singing to Him.

How do you suppose God reacted?

Pastor Ortiz said he could imagine the Father turning to the angelic choir and saying, “Could you guys keep it down for a minute?  I want to hear Johnny scribble!”

So I’m not the best preacher.  Or the best teacher.  I’m not a prophet or an evangelist.  I’m not a professional singer or dancer.  I don’t know how to pray most of the time.

But I’m not going to let these things keep me from entering and living in the Kingdom of God.

Because, you see, I can scribble.

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

Coming to God as a Child (Part 2): Pick Me Up!

By David Ryser

I was on my way to take a shower.  I had no idea I was about to learn something about the Kingdom of God.  And I didn’t know that an eight-month-old child would be my teacher.

I was in a hurry.  I was supposed to leave the house in a few minutes, and I needed to take a quick shower before dressing to go out.  As I was going down the hall to the shower, I noticed my grandson playing in the hallway near the bathroom door.  He was playing with a toy and was quite focused on what he was doing.

I smiled when I saw him playing with the toy.  I had bought it for him.  I had given it to him for his enjoyment.  I was pleased to see him having so much fun with it.  Not wanting to disturb him, I went to step around him and go on my way.

As I tried to go past him, he saw me.  What he did then changed how I viewed my relationship with God.

When he saw me, he got the biggest grin on his face.  He was so excited!  He put down the toy.  Then he put his little hands up in the air.

What do you suppose happened next?

Even though I was in a hurry, I stopped.  I picked that little guy up in my arms.  I tickled him and played with him.  After a few minutes, he tired of me.  I put him back down on the floor.  He went back to playing with his toy.  I went on to take my shower.

And I learned something about God.

In the Gospels, we real of numerous occasions where Jesus is interrupted while traveling or teaching.  In every case, Jesus stops doing what He is doing and gives His attention to the person who interrupted Him.  He never rebukes anyone for bothering Him.  And He doesn’t ignore someone who is attempting to get His attention.  He always stops and ministers to them.

What if they had not interrupted Him?

I imagine He would have gone on His way to wherever He was going.  Or He would have continued to do what He was doing.  It’s not as if Jesus didn’t have anywhere to go or anything to do.

But He always stopped when someone noticed Him and wanted His attention.

I’ve had opportunity to talk with people who say they want Jesus to come into their lives and their churches.  Many are frustrated because they don’t sense the presence of God in their daily lives and in their church services.  This confuses me a bit because Jesus always stops when someone wants His attention.

Reading the Bible and my life experiences have taught me that Jesus always comes when (and where) He is wanted.  And He always stays where He is accommodated.

Getting Jesus to come into your life or church is relatively easy.  You just have to want Him to come.  He always stops when someone notices Him and wants His attention.  I’ve heard people say something like, “God is too busy to pay attention to me.”

Is He?  Jesus was busy every time He stopped for someone.  But He stopped.

I suspect we have this thing backwards.  (Imagine that!)  I don’t think Jesus is too busy for us.  I think we’re too busy for Him.

Consider my grandson.

If he had continued playing with his toy when I went to go past him, I would have continued on my way to the shower without disturbing him.  I wouldn’t have been upset with him.  But we wouldn’t have had a couple of minutes together enjoying one another, either.

I wonder….

Could it be that we are so busy playing with the “toys” God had given to us that we don’t have time for Him?  Are we so focused on His blessings that we don’t notice Him walking by?  Worse yet, do we notice Him, but would rather play with our “toys” than spend a few minutes with Him?

Even an eight-month-old child knows better.

So we have a decision to make.  If we want to spend time with Jesus, we simply need to put down our “toys” and ask for His attention.

The “toys” will still be there after He has gone.

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

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