A Childlike Heart Is God’s Greatest
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:1-6
In Matthew 18:1-6, we see a question raised by Jesus’ disciples: “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” In today’s generation, this question is still relevant in the Kingdom of God, in the Body of Christ. That is why we still see competitions and rivalries inside Churches, between Churches, certain groups, and certain individuals, through the number of their members, through the sharpness of their spiritual gifting, the number of people who were saved and baptized, the number of Bible verses memorized, and so much more.
Yet, the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:28-31, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
This confirms what Jesus said in Matthew 18:3-4, “And said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” In the eyes of God, children are the greatest treasure. Does this mean that you should become childish? No, of course not. What Jesus means is for us to have the nature of a child’s heart. Children don’t think of petty things, such as who is the greatest. They simply enjoy things and love what they do. They hold no grudges when their playmates accidentally hurt them. They cry for a while, but after a few moments, you will see that they are playing again with no offense remaining in their heart. A child is also very trusting, dependent, teachable, and thus humble. Children are learners, and they find joy in the simplest of things. This is what our Heavenly Father wants in each of His children, regardless of our age.
He wants us to completely trust Him as our Father, to find joy and appreciation in the simplest forms of blessing, to not hold offenses in our heart, and to continuously be teachable and humble before Him. Children may be considered weak, foolish, and powerless by Apostle Paul, yet these are the kinds of people whom the Father chooses.
May this teaching of Jesus remind us to always be like a little child before the Father, always trusting and dependent on Him at all times. It’s not about what one has done for the Kingdom, but rather who has the heart of a child being watched over by the Father. After all, it’s not about us, but about the goodness, mercy, compassion and love of God.
