Revelation 21:4 & Galatians 2:20: The old things will pass away, but the new will come [& never end] and reign truth, life, peace, & freedom for the new creation which comes only by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross & the present, enduring work of the Holy Spirit within us!
One’s view of time can say a lot about a person. TIME is a beautiful thing (I often call it my favorite abstract gift), and the two prevailing schools of thought view time as either (a) linear — seen very much in western culture — or (b) circular — seen very much in Eastern culture, especially in China; but, I argue that both are true when combined as viewing life as very cyclical. Especially in regards to Jesus’ description of what the end will look like when he says, “nation will rise against nation.” Since the dawn of time, nations/empire/etc. have risen and subsequently fallen. Also, look up the meaning of the words, kairos & kronos in the Greek. That has transformed my view of time tremendously.
Ecclesiastes 1:9: even back in Solomon’s time, the wisdom he received made known that “there is nothing new under the sun.” It is true, “what has been done will be done again.” My home church has 7 pretty straight forward core beliefs (they are very simple and I would encourage you to take a look at a church’s belief statement before you attend in order to get a better idea of what you are going to hear, but more importantly, to challenge you to grow deeper in your walk with God):
- The Bible (both Old & New Testament in their entirety)
- The Trinity (Father [knows best], Son #3, Holy Spirit #5)
- The Lord Jesus Christ
- The Fall and Redemption of Mankind* (addressed below)
- The Holy Spirit
- The Resurrection
- The Gospel (Jesus Himself, the Holy Spirit, and the Coming Kingdom)
So why must we enter the coming kingdom as a child? Common sense would say this, “Babies and children are dependent on someone else to proceed in life, so they aren’t very useful in regards to adult things.” Although that may be true, I think many children spout more wisdom in their young age than many theologians and intellectuals of the past have done through a self-gratifying path of seeking knowledge. The Theory of Occam’s Razor always comes to mind, “The simplest of explanations is most likely the best one.” Complexity is a “man-made” phenomena. God does not desire to make things hard, but he will use trials & your failures to show just how devoted you are to him, the Eternal God, or to things that are temporal. Additionally, it is our dependence on God that makes us so useful to others, because people will see your confidence in something beyond yourself, and if your light shines bright, people will naturally be curious!
Well, Jesus addresses this subject of child-like faith and the vast importance of children (since the dawn of time) from the top of Matthew 18: At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,3 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. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”
Jesus never fails to come through in the clutch for us. This season of the year reminds us that the Lord even humbled himself to become a helpless babe so that we would know just how important one child, one word, one act can be in the course of another person’s life.
So, as a child, I was lucky to have a mother who read me the nighttime story, “Love You Forever.” At the beginning of the story, the baby is clueless about life (obviously) and the mother, although frustrated at times, always says the most famous lines in the book, “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always; As long as I’m living My baby you’ll be.” She sang this to her son from the very beginning. Little did she know, this created a devotion in her son that would ultimately cause the son to take care of her when it mattered until she was old and gray.
That’s what the LORD wants you to know – he is with you every step of the way. You don’t need to be perfect because CHRIST JESUS is perfection for us. We need only yield to His Power which comes now by the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives! Because of the fall of mankind, we messed up royally. If Adam & Eve hadn’t botched the whole garden thing, we would have been born into perfection. But the amazing thing about God is that he has and always will have a plan & desires for you to be at the center of His will!
To wrap things up, in regards to life and time, we are born children, & if we get up there in age (say 80-120), we return to the former things that made us children (I am looking at you adult diapers). Because we are born into a fallen & sinful nature, without our Savior Jesus Christ, we have no concept of what it means to live a life pleasing to Him. Jesus not only said the perfect thing, but also illustrates it with action. Having the foreknowledge of the Father, He knows that children who are eager for truth will search and find it. Thus, Jesus is calling out to us, but we must return the faith of a child who is willing to listen and obey his or her parents. Remember, that the command to honor your father and mother was the first one that came with a promise, that you would be blessed with a long life on the earth as a result (whether it be the old earth, or the new one to come)!
Jesus is calling, He is tugging at your heart. Are you going to be there to open the door? Your openness and willingness to let him in must come out of a knowledge that we are sinful & lost without him, but from a heart that is like the faith and joy of a child, with thanksgiving for what Jesus has already done on the cross!
Have a blessed day, week, and Christ|mas (more of Christ Jesus) season!
Luke 21 Ministries 