Coming To Jesus As A Child

Sometimes you will hear someone say something to the effect that we should have “childlike faith.” I think they get this from Luke’s gospel. It doesn’t quite say that we should have childlike faith. Instead, this is what Jesus says:

Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.

So, the question isn’t really how we have childlike faith. Instead, the question becomes how do we receive the kingdom like a child?

************

A few days ago I went with a group of people from my church to a rehab center for addicts. It is a Christ centered facility. It was a fantastic experience to be able to spend time with these folks. Something interesting happened, though.

We prayed over a graduate of the program and anointed him with oil. He is facing some health issues that are definitely a cause for concern. Another gentleman spoke up and told his story. He said that he was a fairly new Christian. His wife had developed breast cancer. He came across the description in James about anointing with oil and prayer. What did he do? He did this for his wife. The results were that her breast cancer disappeared.

************

It seems to me that this gentleman received the kingdom of God like a child. I’ve explained that scripture in James away many times. I’ve heard it preached that way. I’ve heard plenty of scriptures explained away to mean something other than what they say.

What does a child do when we tell them something? They believe. They trust. They accept it without question. If an adult tells them something, they just believe what happens. We grow up and learn to not believe.

We’ve done that, it seems to me, with a lot of scripture. We try to make it mean something that makes sense to our adult minds rather than as a child would.

************

Was there anything special in the oil that we anointed that man with? How about the oil the other gentleman anointed his wife with? No. What was special is that we believe that God can heal him. The husband believed that God could heal his wife. What was special was the obedience, trust and faith that was displayed.

What does it mean to have childlike faith? It means obeying the word of God. It means trusting that God will do what He says. It means having faith in the work of Christ. It means coming to Jesus as a child.

Do you come to Christ as a child?