Thought of the Day !!

"The time promised by God has come at last!" (Jesus) announced.  "The Kingdom of God is near!  Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!"
                                                 Mark 1:15 (NLT)

This is the beginning of Jesus' ministry as recorded in Mark's Gospel.  In it Jesus gives us a mini to-do list.  There are two things he tells us to do.  We are to first of all repent.  Repentance basically means to change or turn away or go in a different direction.  God knows how humanity has all been affected by sin and how we are motivated by selfish desires.  Jesus is telling us to turn from our selfish motives, which would mean turning to the motives of God that we were created for.

Secondly, Jesus tells us to believe the Good News, or the Gospel.  The Gospel is like a net under a person walking on a high wire.  Any ordinary person like myself who would attempt to walk on a wire far above the ground would quickly fall.  And the ground wouldn't be a soft landing at all.  It's the net that would save the falling person from sure death.  Believing in the Good News of Christ Jesus (or believing in the Gospel) means having that net to save us from our sins. 

Take time today to ask yourself what you need to repent of.  Then meditate on what it means for you to believe.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Daty !!

But I have this complaint against you.  You don't love me or each other as you did at first.
                                                                  Revelation 2:4 (NLT)

The Church of Ephesus in Revelation was good at defending the faith.  Jesus commended them on not allowing false teachings and not tolerating evil people.  And then comes the "But".  BUT, "I have this complaint against you.  You don't love me or each other as you did at first."  Other translations will say that they had forgotten their first love.  The first love of the Ephesians, and us now, must be God and each other.  The most important commandment is to love God with all our being, and then just next to that is to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

Jesus makes clear that our neighbors are all those around us, not just those next door or in the same church, denomination or even faith.  Jesus shows that even our enemies are our neighbors when he teaches us to love them (YES LOVE THEM).  On the cross Jesus asked God to forgive those who put him there because they really didn't know what awful things they were doing.  He didn't say to let them off the hook or approve of what they did.  But he did ask his Father to forgive them, out of his great "first" love. 

We can sum up part of the Ephesians' problem as doing the right things, but without the right motives.  I can only assume (because it's not stated plainly here) that they became Pharisaical.  The got so consumed with keeping out the bad things that they forgot that the most important thing was love.  They most likely fell into hate for their enemies instead of defending themselves out of love and loving those who came against them. 

This is a hard concept to grasp.  It's hard to fight off those who are against you and not come to a place where your anger against them becomes hate.  But if we look to Jesus, that's exactly what he did.  He told the Pharisees that they were wrong.  He got angry and turned over the moneychangers tables.  He told sinners not to sin anymore.  But he never lost his love for those people. 

We are to defend our faith, not tolerate evil practices within our church, and be opposed to false teachings, while also not allowing ourselves to be angered to the degree that hate begins burning inside us.  Will that be easy?  Of course not.  Is it possible?  Well, all I can say is what Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians.  He writes that we "can do all things through Christ who strengthens" us.  So you tell me.  Is it possible?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

“And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard.  You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

                                                Acts 20:35 (NLT)

It truly is more blessed to give than to receive.  I’ve found this out in my life many times.  What I’ve received has been great.  But when I give, it gives me an inner joy. 

Many will argue this because they’ve bought into the idea that the more you have the happier you will be.  The fact is, though, that we are created in the image of our Creator.  And the Creator is a giver.  God gave us breath.  He gave us His Son.  He gave us a way out of our sin.  He gives, gives, gives.  Yet we still believe that more joy comes out of getting for some reason.  If we were created in the image of the world…of sin…then this would be true.  But we’re created to be like Christ who is the ultimate giver.

If you think it’s better to receive, then you don’t know the true joy of giving from your heart out of the heart of Christ.

Be a giver today and see just how good it feels.

In the love of Christ,

greg

Thought of the Day !!

for my people have committed two evils:
  they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living water,
  and dug out cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns
  that can hold no water.
                   Jeremiah 2:13 (NRSV)

In Jeremiah's day the people of God had abandoned Him (the fountain of living water) and created cracked cisterns.

What does this mean?  Cisterns are artificial reservoirs for storing water.  In the time of Jeremiah it would be rainwater.  Water is needed to sustain life.  So what God is saying here is that the people created other ways of sustaining themselves and giving themselves meaning and purpose.  In essence they found other ways of salvation.  They created their own ways instead of relying on and trusting in Him (the fountain of living water that never runs dry) to sustain them.
 
The people in Jeremiah's day created cracked cisterns that wouldn't sustain them by turning to other gods and worshiping idols.  They also found meaning in sexually immoral ways.  Today we do the same things.  We've turned to the culture and what it teaches us to find our meaning and purpose and joy.  But these things will all become empty because they're all cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.  The only place where salvation and a true sense of purpose comes from is our God as brought to us through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
 
Make God first and foremost in your life today.  Find your meaning and purpose in Him.  Don't be swayed by the gods of this world that try to entice you and tempt you away from the ways of the One True God. 
 
In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
       "I will send my messenger ahead of you,
       who will prepare your way"

       "a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
       'Prepare the way for the Lord,
       make straight paths for him.' "

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

                                             Mark 1:1-4 (TNIV)

Once upon a time a man by the name of John, who lived in the desert and devoted his life to fulfilling God's purpose for him, came to the forefront and made a proclamation.  He told the people that the Messiah was soon to be among them and that they must repent and be forgiven.  The people were the Jews, the people of God.  Were they not already among the elect?  Were they not already God's chosen people?  Why did they need to repent (change)? 

As it turns out, we're all called to be part of the elect of God.  We're all chosen to come to Him through His Son Jesus.  But we must make our paths straight for him.  This means turning from our selfish ways of living our lives, renounce our sins and seek God's ways for us. 

As Christians, this is what we proclaim.  Which leads to the question, "Are we living out the proclamation?"  How much of our lives are still selfishly lived by our own will without regards to what God would have for us?  How often do we renounce God by our actions, even if not by our words?  How often do we truly seek God's will in our lives when we know it will mean change?

John the Baptist came to show the way to the people of his time.  But his message still lives on.  Let us "Prepare the way for the Lord, (making) straight paths for him."

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
                                           Matthew 7:12 (ESV)

Let me tell you about one day when I went through the checkout at Wal-Mart.  This was one of those days where the cashier never said a word to me.  This is unusual since I'm almost always greeted with some degree of recognition there.  But when the person basically ignored me until she handed me my receipt, I said to her, "You have a nice day."

As I say this to you, you might think I'm trying to share with you how we should treat others when we're not treated the way we feel that we should be treated.  But the truth of the matter is that even though I said the right thing, I neglected to share with you the tone in which I spoke those words.  It was one that spoke louder than any words I could've said as I allowed the indignation to swell up in me and be sarcastic to someone who did not deserve it. 

So in this case I use the example of myself not for you to follow, but to show what it means to disobey the Golden Rule of doing to others what we'd wish them to do to us. 

When Jesus interacted with people, he showed them something that we should all show each other.  This is respect.  I mean how many of us doesn't want, or even think we deserve other's respect?  But how often is it that we neglect to show this same respect others?

Think about what this week would be like if we would show respect to every other person we meet.  No one would be looked down upon or judged by appearances.  No one would be talked about behind their backs or discounted.  People would be spoken to that are usually ignored.  People would receive smiles even when we're not in that cheerful of a mood.  People would be asked opinions instead of being told what they should do.  And checkers would receive a "have a nice day" that has meaning behind it instead of being spoken in a sarcastic tone of voice. 

Can you imagine how many people could be affected, and possibly even changed, if we treated others the way we would like to be treated?  If only one is changed, I would suspect that one to be me.  How about you?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

                    Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

Paul teaches about compassion and forgiveness here.  Jesus was so compassionate to forgive us, and so we should do the same.  Let’s look at what it means for us to have compassion for each other.

The first thing we need to know about compassion is that it has nothing to do with the worth of a person.  A person who’s compassionate doesn’t look at the person, but the need.  Many want to have compassion for those whom they believe deserve it.  But Jesus showed us the correct way in having compassion for us even though we are undeserving. 

People with compassion then do something.  They don’t stand around talking about he need, forming a committee and asking for volunteers to take on the need.  Just as Jesus took things into His own hands, compassionate people do what is needed.

Compassionate people don’t just do something though.  Compassionate people are compelled out of their love of Christ to do something.  They see a need, they are filled with the compassion that Jesus has and then they do something about it.  They do this without counting the costs too.  This is because they know having compassion for others will cost something.  They know that their time or money or energy etc will be needed and used if they get involved. 

If you think about it, Jesus saw a need.  He felt compassion.  He did something about it even though it cost Him His life. 

How compassionate are we willing to be in this world filled with hurting people with a plethora of needs?

In the love of Christ,

greg

Thought of the Day !!

This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.  I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders and deacons.

                                                       Philippians 1:1 (NLT)

I’ve been preaching through the book of Philippians lately.  In the first sermon we went back to the book of Acts and discovered what a diverse community this church was.  The first converts consisted of a rich lady, a slave girl and a jailer.  What a vastly diverse group to begin a church with.

Let’s look at the Church today…by this I mean the Global Church.  You can break the Church down into to three categories.  There is the Roman Catholic, the Orthodox and the Protestant parts of the Church. 

                       

Today there are those Eastern Orthodox Christians who worship together and have a great sense of God’s Holiness in the icons and the chanting and incense.  There are Roman Catholic Christians who find a great sense of God’s Holiness in the pope.  Then we have the Protestants who have a great sense of God’s Holiness found in His Word…the Bible.             

We’ve got Charismatics shouting and Catholics kneeling.  We’ve got traditionalists singing Amazing Grace and snake handlers...doing whatever they do.  There are prayers being read, and others coming directly from the Spirit, sermons being taught, others being preached from emotionally charged preachers. 

We are different…but we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.  What if we were all leaders?  There would be no one to lead.  What if we were all followers?  There would be mass confusion about what we need to do.  We need leaders.  We need followers.  We need planners.  We need prayer warriors.  What do you see yourself as?  Even more importantly, what do you see your church needing you to be?

In the love of Christ,

greg

Thought of the Day !!

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.  No one has ever seen God.  But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us.

                                                                            1 John 4:11-12 (NLT)   

 

When John wrote "since God loved us that much", he was talking about verse 9 that reads "God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him."  So God loves us so much that He gave of Himself for us.  He was born into a cold world and died an even colder death.  And since He loved us this much, the least we can do is love each other.  It is only then that God will reside in us.  If we have hate for people who are different, people of different color, people that think differently, people in our churches and outside of them, people who come from our own household, people in general, then we do not have God in us.  This is simply because God is love and where hate resides, God does not. 

 

Break down those barriers that separate you and whomever.  Forgive a friend.  Shake the hand of a stranger who may look or act different from you.  Speak to someone you normally wouldn't.  Smile at anyone today.  Let us allow the love of Christ to show through us so that others will know that we are different...that we are set apart...that we are with God and He is with us. 

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the brokenhearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see.

This is the chorus to the Brandon Heath song "Give me your eyes so I can see".  The reason I fell in love with this song is that it reminds me of how we so often go through life being tunnel visioned.  It's impossible to not see things through our our imperfect lenses.  The Apostle Paul taught us that "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face". (1 Cor. 13:12 NIV)  But it doesn't mean we can't ask God to give us His eyes, which are perfect.

Wouldn't it be great if we could see things as God sees them?  How might this world be if we were not consumed with prejudices and worldly teachings that made us see through cloudy lenses?  What if we saw each other as children of God instead of by the path they've chosen or the color of their skin or the circumstances in which they live?

I guess if we all saw with God's eyes, this place would be more like Heaven.  And isn't that what we ask for when we pray "Thy will be done, thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven"?

Today ask God for His eyes.  Today look at the world in a fresh new way.  Ask God to show you the good in people and to have the love that reaches out to humanity instead of just passing them by.  Today may we all be a little more God-like as we see the world in a whole new way.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
                                                     2 Corinthians 8:7-9 (NLT)

We've all seen small children playing before.  Sometimes they'll get along, and sometimes they won't.  I've seen a child hoard all the toys, even the ones that he wasn't playing with before, because he didn't want the other one to touch his stuff.  

I've also noticed a little girl who spent a great deal of time creating some craft, only to hand it to me when she was done.  
 
The difference is not between little boys and little girls.  For either can hoard their toys, and either can share generously.  The difference is that one is showing love for self and the other is showing love for another.  
 
We are the little boy with all the toys, as well as the little girl with the newly made creation.  But it's up to us to choose which we will act like.
 
Are we insecure and afraid to give?  Or are we satisfied knowing that what we have is not really our own, but something that is on loan from God?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
                                                                       Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

I went to the hospital expecting the worst.  The patient was given terrible news and would surely be depressed.  As her pastor, I had to come up with the right words to say.  But when I entered into her room, I saw a person smile at me and welcome me. 

Surely it was shock of the recent news, or putting on a good face for visitors, I thought.  But as I visited for a while it became evident that she knew she was going to be alright.  Oh, she didn't know if she'd live or not.  But she knew things were going to be alright.  There was a peace about her that passed all understanding. 

Have you ever been assured of something deep inside?  Maybe you just knew that your baby was going to be alright.  Maybe it was that even if you gave your last little bit of money away to someone who needed it, you'd still find a way to pay your bills.  Maybe it is the assurance that no matter what, your sins are forgiven and you are assured that you will be in Heaven one day. 

God gives us a peace sometimes that transcends our understanding because we actually have no proof...no physical evidence...that everything will work out, yet we are assured that it will.  I love those times because it's then that I can see that God is truly in control of things. 

Have you ever had this feeling?  Pray for it if you're in trouble or need or are not assured of your own salvation.  In God's Word it's written that if we will ask, we will receive.  Talk to God about it, and then listen.  And see what happens.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.
                                                           John 14:18-19 (NLT)

Have you ever felt alone?  Maybe a relationship ended or a loved one died.  Maybe as a kid you were lost in a department store and didn't know where your parents were.

I remember one time when I was very young and my parents and me and another family took the ski boat out somewhere I'd never been before.  I remember being in the truck with my dad driving back up the hill and wanted to be out on the sandy area where my mom was.  He stopped and at the top of the hill and let me run back down the hill to be with mom and the rest.  But when I got to the bottom of the hill, I'd lost where she had been.  Looking back up the hill, I couldn't see my dad anymore.  In truth he'd only driven maybe fifty yards away to park the truck.  But I had no idea where either parent was and felt lost and all alone for a couple of minutes.  I was scared and wondered if my parents had abandoned me...which of course they hadn't.

I wonder how often since then, and before I've matured in my faith, that I felt so down that I felt everyone, including God, had abandoned me?  Have you ever been there? 

We weren't created to be alone.  We were created for relationships.  God wants us to have relationships with others...parents, spouses, friends, co-workers, etc. that are strong and healthy.  He wants us to have a loving relationship with Himself that far exceeds anything else in our lives.  And if this is going to be the case, then He's going to have to always be there for us.  That's why Jesus tells his disciples...and I believe us today...that he'll never abandon us.

It might seem like we're all alone at times.  But in reality, we can never go far enough or get so lost that our God is not with us.  He may not be with us in physical form anymore.  But He is with us through the power and person of the Holy Spirit.  We can always speak to Him, listen for Him, be guided by Him and walk with Him.  No matter what changes in this world, God will never abandon us.

In the love of Christ,
greg
           

Thought of the Day !!

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
                                                    Matthew 16:21-23 (NIV)


When Jesus tells Peter those often quoted words, “Get behind me Satan”, he’s telling Peter that his place is not in front of him.  It is behind him, following him.  Peter gets upset at the fact that Jesus has decided that going to Jerusalem and dying is the way to go about this Messiah thing.  Peter thinks he has a better idea.  And that idea is to fight.  After all that is what everyone was thinking the Messiah would do when He came.

Peter is trying to control Jesus here.  He’s trying to get Jesus to do things his way.  But Jesus tells Peter that it is He who should be leading Peter and telling him what to do, not the other way around.

I wonder how often we try to lead Jesus to where we want Him to go instead of following Him to where He wants us to go?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told them not to bother him. But when Jesus saw what was happening, he was very displeased with his disciples. He said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God." Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

                                                                         Mark 10:13-16

  

Throw a baby up in the air and it never occurs to her that you will drop her.  Tell a child a story about a man being swallowed by a big fish and notice the look of awe on his face.  Promise a little one that you will never leave her and you'll have one who believes what you tell her.

 

Little children have a kind of faith that some adults think of as childish or immature, while others are envious of it.  They haven't lived long enough to be let down by society.  They haven't been turned down for jobs or laid off.  They haven't seen scandals by public officials or people in the limelight.  They haven't yet had promises be broken to them.

 

Yet we adults have experienced being let down.  And so we become skeptical.  We raise our guards and tell the world that it won't beat us.  We mature...learn...grow strong.  And in doing so, we become weak.  For in doing so, we can loose what we had as an innocent child.  We can loose faith.

 

When we begin loosing faith, whether it's faith in politics, religion, society or even family, it's only a matter of time before we don't know what true faith in anything is.  If we learn to become skeptical about everything, sooner or later our faith in Christ and his work on earth will follow. 

 

This world is not perfect.  The devil and something called sin has made sure of that.  But remember that the only thing that can defeat this unfair world that we live in is a faith in something that's much better.  Have faith in the Kingdom of God.  Have faith in Christ Jesus and the joy that he will bring each and every one of us.

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything.

                                                          Ecclesiastes 11:4 (TEV)

 

Sometimes we decide to wait until things are just right to do what the Lord asks us to do.  Many people want to wait till later to become a Christian because they're having a good time with living in the world.  Others try to wait until they're better Christians before going to church.  Still others think that they can work on that habitat home or go on that mission trip next year when there will be more time.  And then there are those who've missed the chance to share Christ with someone because they didn't feel comfortable at the time. 

 

To be honest, I have been guilty of all these over my lifetime, but I tend to believe I'm not alone.  We all want to do good things as Christians.  But how often do we put them off until just the right time.  If we're not careful, that right time will never come again and we'll realize we missed the opportunity to serve God and our risen Savior. 

 

Don't put off till tomorrow what God desires of you today.

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.
                                                                              Hosea 11:9 (NLT)

God had gotten very angry with Israel.  He had every right to unleash His fierce anger.  But He didn't.  This is because He has control over His emotions.  Wouldn't it be great if we could all say that?  Even though we're not in perfect control of our emotions as is our Father in Heaven, we have His power in us when we accept Christ as our Savior and allow the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.  Let us tap into this power and exercise control when we're tempted to lose our patience with others and do something we wouldn't want our Father see us do.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing."
                                                                                                      Psalm 16:1-2 (NIV)

Apart from God, we would have nothing.  Think about it.  If you create something, God gave you the imagination and talents to be used.  If you learn something, God gave you a brain to store intelligience.  If you do anything, God gave you the body, the mind and the power.

I once used an illustration in a sermon about some scientists that believed that they had gotten so smart that they didn't need God anymore.  God decided to have a little competition with them.  He told them that He'd created man from dust, and since they were becoming so advanced in cloning and other such things, He would simply leave them alone if they could create a new human being from scratch like He did.  They got together and discussed it and believed that they had the power to do just that.  So they agreed.  They went out to gather the dust of the earth, and God spoke down to them saying, "Hey, make your own dust.  That's mine."

I wonder how many times a day I take for granted what's around me.  Apart from God, I have NOTHING.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength."
                                                                            Judges 7:2 (NLT)

God had called Gideon to rise up against Israel's enemy, Midian.  He had gathered 32,000 men to fight, but God saw that if they all went to battle, things wouldn't be so clear about who's power it was that won the battle.  God knew that in their minds they would question whether it was really God or just a really good fighting contingent.  So God told Gideon to send some home.  Actually, all but 300 hundred were sent away so that there would be no doubt who's strength was being used. 

Often times when God does something through us or works a miracle in our presence we can have the tendency to explain it away.  But God wants us to understand that we cannot get through this life on our own without Him and His power.  He is the one who helps us fend off the devil.  He's the one that performs miracles around us (some small and some huge).  He's the one that will lovingly guide us if we'll pay attention and acknowledge Him. 

Today, ask yourself how God might be using your weakness to do something great in the world.  The things you do may not seem great to you.  But if you're listening and living by His guidance, you are a part of something so great that none of us may realize just how great until we meet Him face to face. 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their sorrow.
                                                                Isaiah 49:13 (NLT)

Sorrow comes in this world that has been drastically changed by sin.  We know that life won't always be a party.  But God looks down on the human race...His children...and has compassion.  He has comforted his people many times in the past and will do so many more times in the future. 

Sing for joy because in the good times...well...things are good.  And in the sorrowful times, we have a God who is there to comfort us. 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Prayers for my Bishop

Swanson Announcement from Anthony Thaxton on Vimeo.

Thought of the Day !!

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."
                                               Mark 10:13-15 (NLT)

Jesus was telling us that we must learn to be more like children in some areas.  He doesn't want us to learn how to be childish, which is a selfish kind of behavior.  He wants us to learn to be more childlike.  I take this to mean that to enter the Kingdom of God we must regain some of that lost innocence that we once had as child. 

Children can teach us unconditional love and unwavering trust.  Have you ever noticed two kids that one day leave each other mad, claiming to "hate" each other only to be playing again the next day?  I remember that being me.  I remember that having a friend to play ball with the next day was much more important than holding on to whatever it was that caused me to be mad the day before.

You can also see complete trust in a small child's face who asks his/her daddy to throw them up in the air...higher...higher...higher.  They may have much more faith in the ability of the daddy to catch them than even the daddy himself.  This is because deep inside of them they trust that nothing bad can happen to them when they're in their daddy's arms. 

When Jesus tells his disciples (and us) that "the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children", he means that it belongs to those who can recapture, or learn the kind of innocent love and faith that sometimes it seems only a child can have. 

Somewhere along the line we were betrayed, the world brought about harsh realities, we were taught immoral or unethical ideals or maybe we got bitter or untrusting for some other reason.  It's time to let go of the problems of this world when it comes to our Father in Heaven and reach out to him like a child reaches out to a parent he/she trusts with his/her life.  For God won't let go.  He'll never leave.  He'll always be right there.  It's because He loves you so much.  And Amen for that!

In the love of Christ,
greg