Humbling Ourselves Before the Gift Giver

Matthew 18:3

Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

What a wonderful time Christmas is to a small child in our culture.  They go to bed on Christmas Eve eagerly anticipating the arrival of the gift giver.  They burst from their beds on Christmas morning knowing that they will find gifts with their names on them under the Christmas tree.  Many of the gifts will be there simply for their pleasure.  Other gifts will be there for their comfort and provision.  They receive them all with great joy.  All the while, they never doubt that the gift giver will provide for them that which they could not provide for themselves.

This is the type of reliance that God wants to see from all of us.  God wants us to rely on Him for everything without ever considering that we could provide for ourselves just as well.  Of course, the gifts that He gives to us are far more valuable than anything we could find under a tree.  Almighty God provides us with the gift of life.  He sustains our lives with every single breath we take.  Along the way, He sees that our pleasures, our provisions and our comforts are taken care of.  Then He provides the greatest gift of all – eternal life in His heavenly kingdom.  All He ever asks from us is to accept His Son as Our Savior.   

As a matter of process, He asks that we love Him and respond to Him like small children.  Small children run to their parents for everything.  Whether they need comfort, provision or direction, they immediately seek the arms of their parents.  They do not question the authority or the power of their parents.  They assume the parents have the power to provide whatever it is that they need or desire.  More than anything else, they do not see themselves as capable of doing more for themselves than their parents could do.  Almighty God wants us to do the same with Him. 

His Son Jesus gave us this instruction in His sermon on the mount. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 5:3

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessings and the benefits that we receive as Your children.  We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to inherit Your kingdom and all of its provision and protection for all eternity.  We pray, Father, that we be renewed in our minds so that we may become as simple, as humble and as teachable as small children.  May we discard forever all the self-seeking lifestyles, distrust and deceit that we learn from the world.  May we walk in the excellence of Our Savior.   We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.