Like a Child
Matthew 18:2-3 (AMP)
2 He called a little child and set him before them, 3 and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus tells us that unless we repent and change to be like a child then we will never enter the kingdom meaning those who enter the kingdom must have childlike characteristics.
One thing about children is that they are submissive to their parents and not only that; children tend to emulate their parents. This means that as a parent then, we must be careful how we act and the values we project before our children because they will reproduce what they see.
Interestingly Jesus displayed these two characteristics;
John 5:19 (AMP)
19 So Jesus answered them by saying, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, the Son [a]can do nothing of Himself [of His own accord], unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever things the Father does, the Son [in His turn] also does in the same way.
This means that Jesus was careful to observe and then replicate what He saw His father do. The same should apply to us in our walk with God. It means that we should be in such fellowship with the Holy Spirit who lives in us so that He can reveal to us what the father does so that we can do the same. As the scripture says, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We see Jesus also submitting to the will of God the Father as opposed to his own will;
Luke 22:42 (AMP)
42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup [of divine wrath] from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done.”
Jesus was in a tight position, one that would bring pain and anguish in his life and He was faced with a choice, His will or the will of the Father? He submitted to the will of the Father. To do that He had to know what the will of the father was.
When it comes to push and shove, do you and I submit to the will of the Father or do we do what we want?
Every parent wants a submissive child, so does God the Father; in fact it is in that place of submission to the Father that we gain victory over the enemy.
James 4:7 (AMP)
7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.
