Revealed to Children

Do you ever wonder how God goes about distributing knowledge? Do you ask Him to provide you with wisdom? Are you continuing to wait? Have you been wondering when you might receive it? Have you relegated yourself to being a child?

You may wonder why I asked that last question. Have you read the words of Jesus? As we saw in yesterday’s message, we are told that we must accept Jesus as a child would. Today, we are told that God provides the secrets of heaven to children rather than the wise.

What could Jesus mean by saying this? Might I suggest that He means the same thing He meant in yesterday’s passage. We must become like children to receive God’s wisdom. We must stop trying to do it all on our own and rely on Him. We must trust Him to provide what we need when we need it, including knowledge and wisdom.

I know, that’s a frustrating proposition. I understand how frustrating it can be. I’ve experienced it. I can also tell you, when you step back and take a look at how God has worked in your life in the past, you will find He has worked the greatest when you gave up trying to do it all yourself.

The more we rely on God, just as a child relies on their parents, the more God provides for us. He wants us to depend on Him. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to ask for what we need. He wants us to be satisfied with what He has blessed us with. That is the child like attitude God wants from us.

The question each of us must answer its, will we decide to be childlike before God? Until we make this decision, we will continue to search for answers with little success in finding them. When we seek them as a child of God to His glory, He will provide the answer we seek.

Notice that God is pleased to do this. He is pleased to provide for His children. God is pleased to hide His secrets from those who are wise in their own eyes and by the world’s standards. Let’s all decide to be a child of God and trust Him in all things.

I pray we all turn to God as His child. I pray we trust Him more than we trust our parents. I pray each of us will give our attitude of self-reliance to rely on God. Be a child of God’s. Be childlike before God. Trust God to provide for your needs. Learn to lean on Him for your understanding.

Matthew 11:25-26 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”

Childlike Innocence

When you think of a child, what comes to mind? Do you long for those days again? Do you think of a child as special? Are you reminded of an innocence gone by? Have you ever thought you need to return to that innocence as a child of God’s?

As we grow into adults, we often envy a young child. Most of them have no idea what the world is like. They don’t know of the violence. They don’t understand the conniving and backstabbing that goes on in the workplace. They only know their tiny, tiny portion.

We begin to experience what we call the real world as we get into the workplace. The more years of experience we have, the more we see the evil that goes on around us. Honestly, it can make us quite cynical. We can become crass and our hearts can become hardened. We can become so used to fighting for everything we have that we don’t know what it is to surrender.

This is the point Jesus is making in today’s passage. He is stating, when it comes to following Him, we must give up those “adult” feelings and become like a child in our innocence. We are to trust Him fully, without question.

This is no easy task. We have become set in our ways. We may even think our ways are His ways. We’ve heard all the sermons. We’ve heard all the teachings. We think we have applied them in our lives. When we look at a Scripture the pastor is preaching on or a teacher is teaching, we think we already know the answer. If the pastor or teacher comes up with a different application, we immediately disagree, because we already know.

A young child is likely to look at the same thing differently each time, looking to learn something new. If you watch a child play with toys, you will notice that trucks fly just like airplanes, horses talk like people, and the color blue is purple. Now, we may think this is silly and we laugh at their play with a knowing thought that they will find out those things aren’t true as they grow up.

Yet, there is something we can learn from them. We can learn that we must continue to look at things as they look at them. We must look to continue to learn each day. This is especially true when it comes to Jesus. He breaks out human rules. He has set us free to break them as well; not to break laws, but to follow Him freely and accept Him for who He truly is.

I pray we all accept Jesus as a child. I pray we accept Him with an innocence we haven’t felt in a long time. I pray each of us will trust Jesus with our entire heart, much like a young child trusts a parent. Reclaim your innocence when it comes to God. Trust God with all your heart. Yearn to learn. See Jesus with clear eyes.

Matthew 18:2-5 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Good Seed

If you read yesterday’s message, you may still be in disagreement regarding the kingdom of Heaven being among us. Today, we will continue to expound on this subject as we look at another parable Jesus taught.

In today’s passage, we see Jesus speaking of a landowner sowing his field. He has used good seed to plant the field. Both he and his servants are expecting a good crop. Those who are farmers or who understand farming can quickly relate to sowing seed and reaping a crop.

We need to understand the sowing of the seed took place twice for God. The first seed was Adam in the Garden of Eden. The second seed is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The seed continues to be sown through the spreading of the gospel. In fact, we may look at the preaching of God’s Word as both seed and fertilizer, depending on whether the person hearing it has never heard it before or they have already accepted Christ and continue to grow.

But notice what happens in this parable. As the seed sprouts and begins to form the wheat, the servants notice there are weeds among it. They ask the landowner about the type of seed that was sown. Was it good? Did it contain bad seed, or were there weed seeds mixed in it? The landowner says he sowed good seed, but an enemy came in the night and sowed bad seed.

In other words, the enemy sabotaged the field. Isn’t that what we see in the world today? We see the results of bad seed having been sown by the enemy. We quickly observe there is a crop growing with weeds amongst it. We see good people who are following Christ mixed with bad people who are following Satan, even if they don’t realize it.

Some of you may still believe the kingdom of Heaven is not here and now. Yet look at how Jesus starts this parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like.” We cannot believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He spoke truth, and deny His teaching. We may not fully understand it. We don’t see everything as God sees it, making it difficult for us to comprehend all that is happening and how God is orchestrating all this for the greater good.

I’m reminded of something else Jesus stated in Mark 10:15 when He said that we must accept the kingdom of God like a child. That means we must trust Him as a young child trusts their parents—without question. That doesn’t mean don’t strive to understand, but we cannot ignore His teaching simply because we don’t understand. That is how we get ourselves in trouble.

I pray we all accept Jesus’ teaching. I pray we continue to try to understand. I pray each of us realize the kingdom of Heaven is here and now. Know that you live in the kingdom of Heaven. Trust Jesus’ teaching. Know that He speaks truth. Strive to understand.

Matthew 13:24-26 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.”

The Kingdom Among Us

Are you looking forward to heaven? Do you have a picture in your mind of what it may look like? What would you think if I told you the kingdom of God is here, right now? Would you think I’ve gone out of my mind?

With all the chaos going on around us, we likely don’t think of the kingdom of God being among us. We think, “How can the kingdom of God be here with all the bad things going on around us?” Perhaps we need to look beyond the surface.

I will quickly agree with you that the kingdom of God has not yet been fully implemented. It has not yet come into its fullness. After all, Jesus tells us in Matthew 13:31-32 that the kingdom will grow into a large kingdom, much like a mustard seed grows into a large garden plant. However, as we see in today’s passage, Jesus also says God’s kingdom is already among us.

Perhaps the question we must wrestle with is, “What kingdom are we living in?” We are too often so concerned with our physical lives that we don’t see God’s kingdom in our midst. We don’t see Him at work in our lives nor the lives of others. We don’t see Him at work in nature, the very creation He put here for our pleasure and sustenance.

Of course, you may say, “Well, Jesus was there and since He is God, He was in their midst when He was talking to them.” Sure, but we must remember that He also said He would send the Holy Spirit, as well (John 15:26). Having the Holy Spirit in us is having God with us. That means God is still in our midst, if only we will see Him.

Since God is in our midst, His kingdom is here. We have a choice; we can live in His kingdom while we live in this world or we can deny His kingdom is here in hopes that we will see it later. Here is the danger in that. If we deny God’s kingdom is here now, we deny God is at work in this world. Why do I say that? Anywhere God is, He rules. He has stated He hasn’t expelled all evil yet. In some ways, it is similar to our human government. Though there are laws and police forces, there are still criminals who do wrong.

God has promised He will fully implement His kingdom. We anxiously await that day. We look forward to no more tears, no more hurt, and an eternity of bliss. It is coming, but we can experience God’s kingdom right here, right now.

I pray we all recognize God’s kingdom. I pray we decide to live in it now. I pray each of us will choose to see God at work in our lives. Look around you. See God’s kingdom. Notice God working in your life. Know that God is in our midst.

Luke 17:20-21 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Endless Love

In today’s chaotic culture and amidst the wide range of world events, we may feel like nothing is certain. It may seem the very foundations we have put our trust in are being shaken. Yet, there is one thing we can put our trust in.

Has the chaos caused you to question nearly everything? Do you feel lost in a world of change? Are you grasping for anything solid to hold on to? You need look no further than the love of Jesus Christ. His love endures forever.

We may find ourselves in new situations each day. We may discover the person we thought we could count on has let us down. Our place of work may suddenly decide they no longer need us. Our once dependable vehicle may suddenly break down, costing us several hundred dollars to repair. The very dependable becomes undependable, and we are shaken.

The one thing we can count on is Jesus’ love. His love includes more than the mere word might imply, especially in today’s vernacular. Love is a word we use without thinking. We often use it to mean we like something for the moment, but we can change our mind at any time. We may even use it to mean something is pretty, knowing its beauty will fade with time. That is not the meaning of love when we speak of Christ’s love for us.

His love starts before time and extends beyond time. His heart aches for us. He wants to give us only the best. But His love will also allow us to go through hard times in order to learn a lesson that will provide us a better life. His love is perfect, just as He is perfect. His love is unending, lasting for eternity.

There is nothing we can do to stop Him from loving us. There is nothing anyone else can do to stop Him from loving us. Not even Satan and all his demons can stop Jesus from loving us. No matter the situation we find ourselves in, Jesus loves us.

His love goes beyond our imagination. We cannot fathom the depths of His love. Think about it for just a moment. He left the perfection of heaven to come to a broken and dirty world to sacrifice Himself for us. What greater love can there ever be?

I pray we all recognize the love Jesus has for us. I pray we contemplate the depth of His love. I pray each of us will love Him to the best of our ability. Rest easy knowing Jesus has an endless love for you. Be comforted by the thought of His love. Reach out to Him knowing He loves you.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

True Love

We have heard the statement, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” If that is true, how much are your actions worth? No, not the job you get paid for, but the actions you take without an expectation of payment.

Our human nature is to look to gain something for doing something for someone else. It may not be a cash amount. We may simply look to have them do something for us later. The reverse is also true, isn’t it. If someone does something for us, we feel indebted to them.

Unfortunately, we also know people who do something for someone to gain the other persons’ love. Sometimes, parents do this, especially if they work many hours during the week. They buy toys or spend large sums of money on elaborate vacations to “make it up” to their kids. Really, they simply want their children to know they love them and want their love in return.

Our actions tell a lot about us. We can see a persons’ beliefs through their actions. Our actions tell others where we stand. They show if we stand for truth. When we serve others, it is evident it is selfless or self-serving service. Our actions let others know if we are a giver or a taker. They show whether we are a protector or a person who needs protecting.

We often write all these indicators off as simply who we are. Yet, we can change them. Oh, it’s not simple. It requires a lot of work. It requires us to stop relying on ourselves and rely on someone far more powerful than us, Jesus Christ. I know, that sounds cliché or flippant. It is not. It is truth. I’ve been there, done that.

You see, when we decide to rely on God, we can overcome who we are and become who He intended us to be. We can rid ourselves of our selfishness and become selfless. We can leave behind being a taker and become a giver. We can stop being a person who needs protecting and become a protector.

How can we be transformed? Through reliance on God. By loving Him with all we are. God loves us and He will provide all we need. We can rely on Him, as we are told in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Jesus says He knows if we love Him or not. He knows by our actions. He knows by whether we keep His commands or not. You see, when we love someone, truly love them, we sacrifice ourselves for them. We do what they want, not what we want.

I pray we all love Jesus with all our heart. I pray we love Him with all our mind. I pray each of us love Him enough to give up ourselves for Him. Love Jesus. Obey His commands. Give yourself up for Him. Give yourself up for others. Trust God to provide all you need.

John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.”

Seed of Heaven

Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? Do you have an image in your head? Do you envision streets of gold, buildings of crystal, lush vegetation, and a pure river? Does everything appear to be perfect?

Many of us have grown up with visions of what heaven will be like. Some of us have images of people in white robes singing continuously. Others have an image of the Father looking like Father Time sitting on a throne. Perhaps the Son is dressed in royal robes sitting next to the Father.

The image we have depends on the images we have been taught. Some of the images are found in Scripture and some are not. We find different interpretations of what heaven may be like in books written by a wide variety of authors. Unfortunately, no one knows for certain.

Despite not really knowing what heaven looks like, we can know what it will be like. We are given various parables in Scripture by Jesus to provide us with an understanding. Jesus doesn’t really provide a picture. He does provide relationship and organizational information.

As we look at today’s Scripture, we see it relate to how the Kingdom of Heaven will grow. It grows from a seed that has been planted. That seed is Jesus. Through His life, death, and resurrection He became the seed for the Kingdom of Heaven.

It may seem odd to us to equate a person to a seed. Yet, it makes perfect sense in God’s Kingdom. He had to provide a way for us to be saved, a way for the Kingdom to grow. Otherwise, none of us would meet His expectations, we would not be able to hold to His laws. God is perfect and we are not. We needed a Savior that would wipe out our mistakes, our failures to make us appear as perfect before the Father.

I pray we all understand that Jesus is our Savior. I pray we accept Jesus as the King of Heaven. I pray each one of us willingly follow Jesus and accept Him for who He is. Jesus is your perfect Savior. Heaven is growing because of Jesus. Be part of His Kingdom.

Matthew 13:24-26 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.”

Divided Or United

Are you tired of all the bickering? Are you fed up with the arguing back and forth? Have you had your fill of one side demeaning the other side? Do you ask why there are two sides to begin with? What are you doing toward reconciliation?

We’ve heard the politicians hurling hateful language at one another. We’ve seen the news media fueling the fire. In all likelihood, we have stood on one side or the other. We have gotten caught up in the fray.

Unfortunately, we see this same scene within our churches. Oh, it may not be about who is running for office in our country, but it is about one issue or another. We fight to the bitter end because we believe we are in the right. By continuing the arguing and fighting, we are most definitely in the wrong.

Here is the question we must ask ourselves, “Are we furthering the Kingdom of God?” We also must understand that God doesn’t force His Kingdom on anyone. That being case, we cannot and will not win someone over, bringing them into the kingdom, through argument.

So, how do we win them over? We win them for the kingdom through love, compassion, and mercy. We have likely heard the quote from Martin Luther King Jr., “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” It is very true. We will admit it is true. Then we will do the exact opposite. Why? Are we so dense and blind and deaf that we don’t hear and abide by our own recognition of truth?

When there is division among us, we begin the spiral down that ends in defeat. As the body of Christ, we are to be united in love. Oh, we can disagree on liturgies, but we are to be united in our beliefs. There is only one God, one Son, one Holy Spirit, and one Kingdom.

Much like earthly kingdoms who will fall when they are divided, our churches will fail the Kingdom of God when we are divided. We are to unite under the love of Jesus Christ. We are to be His united body, representing Him in the here and now.

I pray we all determine to unite in love. I pray we strive to attract others into the Kingdom of God through love, compassion, and mercy. I pray each one of us show love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Shed the hate that binds you. Give up the hate that divides us. Show love to one another. Be compassionate. Show mercy. Work for the Kingdom of God.

Luke 11:17-20 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Withstanding Storms

Do you wonder why you are shaken to the core when something goes bad? Have you taken time to think long and hard about why? If not, when will you evaluate yourself? What is your foundation? Who is your foundation?

I really like Jesus’ use of building a house as a parallel for our lives. Building our lives is much like building a house. If we want to withstand the storms of life, we must have a foundation set on the Rock. Otherwise, those storms will destroy us.

Unfortunately, there are few who have built themselves on the Rock. There are many who have dug down, but never made it all the way to the Rock. They suffer some damage when those storms come, depending on how deep they went with their foundation. There are far more who have built on the surface and they collapse in a heap when those storms come.

Notice Jesus doesn’t say ‘if’ the storm will come, but He says ‘when’ the storm comes. There will be storms in our lives. It may be divorce, loss of a job, death of a loved one, severe injury or sickness, or any number of other storms. There is no doubt we will face storms in our lives. Are we prepared to withstand them, or will we collapse?

We are told how to build ourselves to withstand them. It isn’t a secret that only a few know. It is available to anyone who will seek it. Build your life on the Rock of Jesus. Dig deeper and deeper into His Word. Gain a deeper understanding of God’s ways. Increase your faith. Grow your love for God. Increase your trust in Him.

If you are like me, you started down this path, and went astray for some number of years. Much like me, you can rebuild your life. It is never too late to dig deeper. You can make the choice today to start rebuilding your life.

Here is the wonderful news I’ve found as I’ve rebuilt my life. There are great benefits to digging deep to lay that foundation. Benefits such as finding peace, joy, love, and contentment. The increase of faith and trust in God continues to grow with each experience and the recognition that God is working in your life. I encourage you to start digging today.

I pray we all dig deeper into God’s Word. I pray we seek to build on the foundation of the Rock. I pray each of us grow in our faith and trust in God. Dig deep into God’s Word. Build on the Rock. Grow your faith. Grow your trust in God. Find peace, joy, love, and contentment. Set yourself up to withstand the storms of life.

Luke 6:46-49 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Fasting For God

What are your thoughts about fasting? Do you think it’s really a bunch of hogwash? Are you sitting there thinking there is nothing to be gained by it? Do you fret having to fast for medical appointments? Have you ever thought God will reward you for fasting?

We have likely seen diets that include fasting. We have heard of fasting from one thing or another during Lent. We probably have even heard of fasting from social media (which is a good idea to do from time-to-time). Yet, when it comes to not eating, most of us are not too keen on the idea.

Let’s address what fasting is. It is abstaining from one thing or another. It can be not eating meat for a period of time. I can be not eating food at all for a set period of time. It can be staying off social media. It can be abstaining from soft drinks. It can be whatever you want to deny yourself.

So, what is this about a reward from God for fasting? What’s the catch? It is really quite simple. The catch is the reason for your fasting. Are you fasting for selfish reasons? Or are you fasting to improve your relationship and dependency on God? The answer to that question determines whether God will reward you for fasting or not.

For instance, if you are fasting as part of a diet simply because you want to lose weight to look good in a swimsuit, don’t count on God providing you a reward. Your reward is the weight loss. If you are fasting and saying you are trying to get closer to God, but you are really doing it for show in front of others, again, don’t count on God rewarding you.

When we fast with the true, deep purpose of growing closer to God, He rewards us. He grows closer to us and we grow closer to Him. This reward isn’t something that happens for just a moment in time. It is a reward that continues to give far into the future. A closer relationship with God provides us with so many benefits, we can’t count them all.

For example, a closer relationship allows us to hear God when He wants to get our attention. We hear His guidance that tells us to say a kind word to the cashier. We hear Him say we are to pay for the coffee of the person in line behind us. We feel His nudge to step out of our comfort zone to bless someone we encounter that appears to be having a hard time. All this can be fruit or blessing or reward from God for fasting with a heart seeking to come closer to Him.

I pray we all fast for the right reason. I pray we seek to improve our relationship with God. I pray each one of us are able to hear God when we He speaks to us in His still, small voice. Fast for God. Fast to grow closer to Him. Reap the reward God has set aside for you. Hear Him when He speaks. Follow His guidance. Trust God.

Matthew 6:16-18 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”