As babies, we trust naturally. This trust continues until someone's actions teach us that many in the world are not trustworthy. God isn't like that but the pain of broken trust often makes it hard for us to regain childlike trust.
Becoming Like Children: Trusting and Loving God
Jesus taught that to enter God’s kingdom, we must become like children. Once, when the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest:
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4)
As always, Jesus told his parables to teach specific truths. What are the attributes of children that Jesus was referring to? Clearly, he was not teaching that we should be like little children in every way, but only in certain ways.
Summarizing
To summarize our discussion:
- Knowing, trusting, and loving God are inseparably linked.
- If we love God, we also trust him, which is faith.
- Once we know who God really is, we will come to him in trust for his grace, mercy, and blessing.
Our great reward: God himself
God is the greatest treasure we can find, both now and into eternity. When we find him and respond to his love, we find life itself. He’s the “treasure hidden in the field” and the “pearl of great price” (Matthew 13:44-45). And great blessings await those who love God: sharing in his joy, enjoying his awesome presence, and doing so in a place and position of incredible privilege. My prayer is that you will determine in your heart that you will not miss out on these great blessings but respond to God’s love in faith.