REPOST: Like a Child

by Joyce Meyer - posted July 27, 2011

Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all].
—Matthew 18:3

Today's verse describes children as trusting, lowly, loving, and forgiving. Just think about how much more we would enjoy our lives and our relationships with God and other people if we would simply operate in these four virtues. Obviously, Jesus thinks these qualities are extremely important because He says we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven without them. We cannot enjoy the benefits of God's Kingdom and maintain bad attitudes at the same time.

When I think about hearing God's voice, I see that being like a child is so important because children believe what they are told. Some people say children are gullible, meaning they believe anything, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. But I don't think children are gullible; I think they are trusting. God certainly doesn't want us to be gullible or naive; He wants us to be trusting. Sometimes we are betrayed by people we love and trust and are tempted to then distrust everyone, but we cannot make everyone pay for what one person did to us.

There are people in the world who cannot be trusted, but there are also a lot of good people and we must refuse to live with a spirit of suspicion.

God is completely trustworthy. All human beings, regrettably, cannot be trusted unconditionally, but God can. God wants you to come to Him like a child, trusting Him completely and believing everything He says to you—because He is totally trustworthy.

God's word for you today: Don't let one or two bad experiences rule your entire life.

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From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2010 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

In the meantime...

It’s the time between what just happened and what’s about to happen.

It’s the time when you cry, when you beg, when you promise to never make the same mistakes again.

It’s the time when everything is so clear about your past and your future seems so promising but yet so far away.

It’s the time when you clean out your closet to remove the old and make room for the new.

It’s the time when you survey your past relationships to see if they are worthy of a future.

It’s the time to allow your antibodies to fight off or neutralize the harmful viruses of your past and your present.

It’s the time to allow new growth to become more visible as you cut away the chemically treated tips of your hair.

It’s the time to rub away the scab from your scars and understand that scarring is a natural part of the healing process.

It’s the time when you fill your body with nutrients to build and repair tissues and to help regulate your body.

It’s the time when you exercise mentally, physically, and emotionally to prevent the diseases of affluence.

It’s the time that you pray, repent, meditate and allow God to take over His rightful place in your life.

It’s a time that cannot be understood, justified, or categorized by any human word or phrase.

It is a time that must happen, that does happen, that will happen over and over again as you encounter life’s twist and turns.

Now ask yourself the question again.

What must I do in the meantime?