Luke 10:21-24
Then he was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the intellectuals and worldly wise and for revealing them to those who are as trusting as little children. Yes, thank you, Father, for that is the way you wanted it. I am the Agent of my Father in everything; and no one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Then, turning to the twelve disciples, he said quietly, “How privileged you are to see what you have seen. Many a prophet and king of old has longed for these days, to see and hear what you have seen and heard!”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
From the time Timothy was a baby, I have prayed that he would know Jesus at an early age and develop a strong, intimate relationship with Him. When Zola and Nathan came along, my prayers expanded to include them. I also pray this for the other “little ones” in our circle of family and friends – and all children really – but especially those with whom I have contact. I consider it not only my obligation as a Christian disciple – but also my privilege – to share the love and teachings of Jesus with these children and offer them the opportunity to embrace Him for themselves.
What is gratifying – and somewhat amazing – is how readily most children accept the existence of God…and Jesus. They sometimes question…”Where is God?” or “What does Jesus really look like?” But when we talk about God and share stories of the Bible…when I tell them about Jesus and how “mean men” nailed Him to a cross, where He died because of our sins…they nod, agree and seem to readily accept and internalize this information. They seem to grasp the concept of a “Forever Friend” (the Holy Spirit) who will live in their hearts and guide them each day - and help them make good choices. And my heart bursts with joy that they trust so eagerly.
Somewhere along the line, we become skeptical. I don’t know if the pressures of “the world at large” get to us or exactly what causes the shift…but we lose some of this innocent faith and start to crumble a bit. Some of us all but disintegrate! We begin to question God…and His motives and methods. We let go of Jesus’ hand and close our hearts to the Holy Spirit…and we start to trust mere mortals instead.
We listen to the opinions of others, rather than the teachings of Jesus. Like Timothy, Zola and Nathan, some of us have heard the Word of God since we were tiny babies. We have seen Christian faith in action through the role models and mentors in our lives. But when ungodly influences show up – and they always do – we are drawn to them as if they were irresistible shiny objects. Remember, all the devil needs is the tiniest of openings, and he will sneak into our lives like the slimy creature that he is – and wreak havoc in our lives and the lives of those around us!
Jesus acts as God’s “Special Agent” and provides us with all of the information and tools that we need to live in accordance with His will – and to accomplish His missions for us on this earth. For all of this to work as God ordained, we have to trust like little children. Is this a leap of faith? To some degree - yes. But don’t you know in your heart that this is how you should be living? Don’t you realize how privileged we are to have Jesus as our Savior…and God as our Heavenly Father?
Isn’t it time we stopped acting like we are such high-brow intellectuals who know it all…and surrendered our hearts completely to Jesus? Will this be the day that you “reconnect with your inner child” - and that level of innocence and faith - and let God have complete control in your life? Aren’t you ready to be His kid again?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Then he was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the intellectuals and worldly wise and for revealing them to those who are as trusting as little children. Yes, thank you, Father, for that is the way you wanted it. I am the Agent of my Father in everything; and no one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Then, turning to the twelve disciples, he said quietly, “How privileged you are to see what you have seen. Many a prophet and king of old has longed for these days, to see and hear what you have seen and heard!”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
From the time Timothy was a baby, I have prayed that he would know Jesus at an early age and develop a strong, intimate relationship with Him. When Zola and Nathan came along, my prayers expanded to include them. I also pray this for the other “little ones” in our circle of family and friends – and all children really – but especially those with whom I have contact. I consider it not only my obligation as a Christian disciple – but also my privilege – to share the love and teachings of Jesus with these children and offer them the opportunity to embrace Him for themselves.
What is gratifying – and somewhat amazing – is how readily most children accept the existence of God…and Jesus. They sometimes question…”Where is God?” or “What does Jesus really look like?” But when we talk about God and share stories of the Bible…when I tell them about Jesus and how “mean men” nailed Him to a cross, where He died because of our sins…they nod, agree and seem to readily accept and internalize this information. They seem to grasp the concept of a “Forever Friend” (the Holy Spirit) who will live in their hearts and guide them each day - and help them make good choices. And my heart bursts with joy that they trust so eagerly.
Somewhere along the line, we become skeptical. I don’t know if the pressures of “the world at large” get to us or exactly what causes the shift…but we lose some of this innocent faith and start to crumble a bit. Some of us all but disintegrate! We begin to question God…and His motives and methods. We let go of Jesus’ hand and close our hearts to the Holy Spirit…and we start to trust mere mortals instead.
We listen to the opinions of others, rather than the teachings of Jesus. Like Timothy, Zola and Nathan, some of us have heard the Word of God since we were tiny babies. We have seen Christian faith in action through the role models and mentors in our lives. But when ungodly influences show up – and they always do – we are drawn to them as if they were irresistible shiny objects. Remember, all the devil needs is the tiniest of openings, and he will sneak into our lives like the slimy creature that he is – and wreak havoc in our lives and the lives of those around us!
Jesus acts as God’s “Special Agent” and provides us with all of the information and tools that we need to live in accordance with His will – and to accomplish His missions for us on this earth. For all of this to work as God ordained, we have to trust like little children. Is this a leap of faith? To some degree - yes. But don’t you know in your heart that this is how you should be living? Don’t you realize how privileged we are to have Jesus as our Savior…and God as our Heavenly Father?
Isn’t it time we stopped acting like we are such high-brow intellectuals who know it all…and surrendered our hearts completely to Jesus? Will this be the day that you “reconnect with your inner child” - and that level of innocence and faith - and let God have complete control in your life? Aren’t you ready to be His kid again?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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