Child-like Faith
Child-like Faith
Children are
amazing! We all know how they behave because we have once been in their shoes
and we have them all around us. Have you ever spent time with children or heard
them talk about God? There is something wonderful about childlike faith that we
can learn from. It is a simple and uncontaminated faith. However we seem to
lose that simplicity over time. No matter how old an individual becomes, he
will always be a child to his parents. Jesus admonishes that we must take the
kingdom of heaven as children if we are interested in entering into it. What
really did He mean by this? Mark 10:15; ‘Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall
not receive the kingdom
of God as a little
child, he shall not enter therein.’ Whenever Jesus said verily twice, He was
being assertive and saying something very important. ‘As a little child’ means
laying aside all pride and approaching the kingdom with humility and simplicity.
Ask yourself if your faith is as when you first began, or have you lost the zeal and innocence you once had as a young believer? We sometimes make
believing in God so complicated, however simplicity is important in faith. If
children find that an easy concept, why can’t we?
-Being a child is a reputation and a
basis for blessing and reward. According to John 1:12, we are children and heirs
of God, our imperfections notwithstanding. If you tell your child to wash your
car and he doesn’t, he remains your child, but if you tell your servant to wash
your car and he does, he doesn’t become your child and you won’t bestow your estate
to him for this singular act! A young child
doesn’t bother about how his parents provide for him; he trusts that
they always will. Parents also seek to give their children the best of
everything, how much more our Heavenly Father.
-Children are teachable and obedient. I
knew a little girl called Miriam, whose Dad once took her to see her Aunty (her Mum’s elder Sister). On arrival, Miriam’s Aunty offered her food and drinks,
she declined. After much pressure, the Aunty asked Miriam why she refused
refreshment and she answered, “my daddy said I shouldn’t eat anything from you
because you’re a witch!” What surprise and embarrassment! Of course the poor
man frantically tried to deny the claim, but the harm had been done, if you
were in the Aunty’s shoes, who will you believe; father or child?! Your guess
is as good as mine. “Pretty much all the honest
truth telling there is in the world is done by children”.-Oliver Wendell Holmes. Child soldiers
in countries ravaged by war obey orders of their commanders, often dying or
getting maimed because of their unwavering loyalty. Children are extremely
loyal to parents, guardians, teachers, e.t.c. The mind of a child is like a
plain white piece of paper, you can write whatever you want on it, whether good
or bad. So must our minds be with God, ever willing to learn from Him and obey
Him. Young children can learn several languages. They are inquisitive, always
wanting to learn. There are no questions children cannot ask. A young boy once
asked his father if worms yawn! An adult soon realises how little he knows when
children begin to ask questions. Do you go to God to ask questions about life when
you are confused? When unpleasant situations arise, what is your first line of
defence? A child will naturally run to his father for protection and support
when in distress. Sometimes we seem not to be interested in understanding God,
when in fact our success and fulfilment lie in seeking to know Him better;
Matt. 6:33. I believe that it is for this reason that God sometimes leaves the
adults to talk to children. Like little Samuel, we must say speak Lord! The
truth is that if we will get the best of God, we must obey him blindly like
little children. Moses was one of the greatest prophets in the bible; the key to his success was obedience. When God told
him to stretch forth his rod, He didn’t tell God to build a bridge across the
Red Sea like some of us with our educated minds would have said. Heb. 12:5-8. Like
fresh fish, children can easily be bent in their formative stages and like them
we need to constantly learn, unlearn and relearn if we must enter heaven.
- Children love unconditionally. I recall
that I spanked my niece some years ago because she did something really wrong. Shortly
afterwards, I grew remorseful and while I thought of how to appease her and
warm my way back to her heart, she came back to me, sat on my laps and played
with me like nothing had happened! Children do not keep a record of wrongs or
bear grudges. They love everyone unconditionally. They love their teachers,
guardians, friends and even strangers. Children love other children of
different social standing, when they begin to discriminate against other children,
it is evident their parents have polluted their minds.
-Children are born innocent and
dependant. 1st Cor 13:4, Rom. 15:5, Matt. 18:32-35. Little children
depend on their parent’s wisdom and care, they go where they are sent, and take
what is provided for them. Like them, we must submit ourselves to Jesus and
depend on His righteousness, love and provision. If a child has to choose
between an ice cream cone and fruits/vegetables, he’ll likely choose ice cream.
However, a good mother will feed her children with more fruits than ice cream.
We must trust God’s love for us even in life’s trials and hardship. He
wants the best for us as His children. God is not limited in time and space, so
He sees and knows things that we have no idea of. God knows if your fiancé that
appears so nice now will consistently beat the living day light out of you in
the nearest future. He knows the implication of every step we take or refuse to take. So He leads us based on His limitless wisdom, while we
usually cannot see beyond our noses. He knows the future trend of your career,
world economy and so on. With God’s direction, you cannot go wrong.
-They
have faith in people and in the future. Faith is believing in something when
common sense tells you not to. Isaac surrendered himself to his father’s knife
when God told Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice. An adult will have
attacked Abraham first, realising long before their arrival at the venue of the
sacrifice what Abraham’s plans were! Children believe promises without much
question. You can promise to give a child a ship or an airplane, he’ll believe
you. We should believe God like that and always be willing to trust Him. If our
prayers will be answered, we must trust Him. It takes faith to enter the
kingdom of God. John 14:1-3, Heb. 11:6. Children learn and learners must
believe! You need to realise that the most important part of our education is
nursery and primary education and it is not a coincidence that we go through
this stage while we are relatively young.
The General Overseer of The Redeemed
Christian Church of God; Pastor E.A. Adeboye despite his age and spiritual
maturity calls God his Daddy. This is the kind of relationship we all should
have with God. This position is correct because we are first His children
before we are Pastors, prayer warriors or anything else. When we approach God’s kingdom as children, we can be
sure we will enter into it, the challenges and obstacles notwithstanding. Jesus
said He has prepared a place for you in His Father’s house, do you believe that
like a child would?!
Best regards.
Comments