Approaching God Like a Child
When the disciples came to Jesus, they came with quite an interesting question, wanting to know who the greatest in the kingdom of God was? Jesus answered them in a very profound way saying “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” The bible is clear that we have to have faith to move mountains, and that without faith it is impossible to please God. We can therefore come to the conclusion that the Lord wants us to have an unashamed bold faith towards Him. There is such a great story in the bible that depicts this so beautifully.
Luke 19:1–10 (NLT)
1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town.
2There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich.
3He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd.
4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
5When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
6Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.
7But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
8Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
9Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.
10For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
The above story portrays an incredible picture of a person that is not worried about what anyone thinks of his actions, an adult man, making a decision to climb up a tree. The reality of the situation is that he was determined in his heart, to see Jesus, no matter what it took. His hearts approach is precisely a reflection of how our hearts and attitudes towards God should be on a daily basis. It amazes me how we as people, are more concerned about what others think of us, when we approach God in worship or even just talking about God, than what God thinks of us.
God is wanting us to have a desire for Him that does not get hindered by other’s opinion of us. We need to have a desire to go after Him with everything no matter what the world or anyone else might think.
