|
"Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.'"
(Matthew 18:2-3)
For a Christmas gift, a good friend of mine gave me a copy of Mitch Albom's new book, Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I must admit, it is raw and does not turn out well. In fact, at the very beginning of the book, Albom lets the reader know that 7 year-old Chika loses her battle with brain cancer. If you choose to read the book, I assure you that you will have a wide range of emotions, from tears of sadness to laughter and joy. You will fall in love with this little Haitian girl who was so full of life. In fact, your life will be better as a result of reading this book and meeting Chika.
Why did Jesus say that we all had to become like children to enter heaven? Notice that he did not say we had to become children, but we had to become like children. Children naturally believe in God. They are trusting and rather unsophisticated in their approach to belief. I have yet to meet a child (unless otherwise coached by another person) who ever said, "I hate God," or "I do not believe in God." They simply believe. Their hearts are tender toward the supernatural. It is not until we grow older (and in our own estimations, wiser) that we explain God away or convince ourselves we do not need Him.
Jesus made it very clear that only the converted go to heaven. But He also said we have to become like children. In fact, we have to become like children in order to be converted. No matter what our age, if we desire to follow Jesus Christ and be converted, then we must humbly trust in God, as a child so easily does. If you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ to save you, then I invite you to do so right now. It is the most important decision you will ever make. It will change your life here on earth, and it will be the way you enter heaven. Simply believe in Jesus, turn from sin, and be born again (John 3:7, 16-17).
The following video lasts less than two minutes and will introduce you to Mitch and Chika. I love the quote when Mitch says, "Funny blessings come out of terrible things." Mitch also gets emotional in this video when it dawns on him that Chika will never read the book, but many people will be influenced by her as a result of the book.
|
|
|
Perhaps you are walking through one of those seasons described as "terrible things". Perhaps your health is failing, or maybe your marriage, or maybe it is a financial crisis or some other horrible event, and you can see no way out and certainly no good thing coming from this tragedy. I humbly ask you to hang in there and see what God will do. You and I may not get to see the grand results on this side of heaven, but we can be confident that God knows what He is doing, and Romans 8:28 is, in the words of Pastor Chuck Swindoll, "still in the Bible".
|
|
Grow your influence using Jesus’ own techniques
How can you influence the ones you love most and help them discover the joy and peace of life in Christ? Learn from the greatest influencer of all… Jesus Christ!
Pastor Danny’s brand-new book, For the One, clearly explains how you can use Jesus’ own techniques to influence the ones you love—and win their hearts for eternity.
|
|
|
|
Podcast of the Week
Nicodemus, Pt. 5 (For the One)
Pastor Danny resumes our study of Nicodemus and Jesus in our "For the One" series.
|
|
|
|
|
