“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’” – Matthew 19:14
What does it mean to be like a child with respect to the Kingdom of Heaven? How do we have child-like faith in an age of cynicism, sarcasm, misinformation, radical autonomy, and doubt?
Jesus’ words aren’t an invitation to be satisfied in ignorance or disinterested in matters of theology. After all, children are always full of questions! However, as adults, we have a tendency to gradually let our pursuit of questions and answers, certainty and knowledge crowd out or control our faith. Our goal in studying the Bible, learning the great truths about God, and engaging arguments for and against Christianity shouldn’t be to replace, limit, or put asterisks on our faith. Knowledge can’t save us – only faith in Christ can! Our faith must come first and our studies and debates should enrich and fuel our faith, not the other way around.
Little children ask numerous questions, but they always believe. They trust in the authority and capability of their parents even as they bombard us with questions. Likewise, as we wrestle with matters of faith, the Bible, and Christianity, we must do so in complete trust in God’s authority and ability to do all that the Bible reports He’s done and all that it promises He’ll do. Rather than approaching our faith by asking “how could God possibly do that” we ought to begin with awe, wonder, and respect for what the supreme and sovereign Creator has done.
Grow in your knowledge of God and His Word. Grow in your knowledge of church history and theology. But even more important, grow in your faith and don’t ever make your faith bow to your limited knowledge. That’s the difference between the faith of a child and that of a jaded, cynical, post-modern adult.
NOTE: While Pastor Brian is on sabbatical, we offer this devotional which was originally published on January 27, 2021.