Of Such is the Kingdom of God

At the core of my being, I’m a little girl that loves Jesus. A little girl that gathers wildflowers and presents them to Him with a sweet smile. Simply to express my love and to bring a smile to His face. I remember doing that very thing for my mother many times when I was little. What joy it brought me to see her happy face whenever I pushed those ragged little weeds into her hand. What joy it has brought me over the years for my kids to bring me that same sweet offering of love. When I’m connected at that level to my Heavenly Father, I am whole. I am attentive to Him. His Presence is powerful. And every morsel of His truth brings happy tears to my eyes.

I heard someone say recently, why go to church? I’ve already heard it all. Frankly, that’s disturbing to me. How quickly we lose our wonder of the simple, yet profound truths of scripture. I remember being a counselor at a kids’ camp several years ago. I attended their chapel where the children’s evangelist was speaking. She talked to the children about the absolute basics of the Gospel. Words I’ve heard a hundred thousand times or more. But the simple awe-inspiring truth of those words had me transfixed by their beauty.

I bawled. Like a little girl hearing it for the first time. Eternal words that encapsulated who God is, what He has done for us and why He did it. It never gets old. But only when we can approach Him as a needy child.

If I’m not connected deeply, intimately to Him in this little child way, nothing in my life is right. I’m lonely. And I’m distracted.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Paul wrote, “you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Romans 8:15,16) Paul also wrote “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6)

The Hebrew word, abba, was used as an intimate way of addressing one’s father as daddy or papa. Are you able to be enough of a little child to call the Creator of the universe, “Papa”?

A. W. Tozer, in his book, The Pursuit of God, said this, “If we would find God among all the religious externals, we must first determine to find Him and then proceed in the way of simplicity. Now, as always, God discovers Himself to 'babes' and hides Himself in thick darkness from the wise and the prudent. We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). We must put away all effort to impress and come with the guileless candor of childhood. If we do this, without doubt, God will quickly respond.”

Come with the guileless candor of childhood.

Wow. For some of us, that is easy to do. Not only easy', but a welcome delight. For others…it might seem impossible. You’ve lost touch with the childlike side of yourself long ago. But it’s still there. And God can help you find it.

Simply ask. Ask for that childlike love for God to be restored. Ask for that childlike wonder of His Truth to come back. Ask Him to restore in you a fresh delight in His Word. And He will answer.