“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
Christian marriage can be an amazing relationship when we mimick some child-like behaviors such as :
- Quick to forgive and forget
- Laughing often and for any reason
- Flexible
- Open to learning new things
The pastor of my church gave an altar call a few weeks ago. For those of you not familiar with the term altar call, he invited anyone who was not saved to come to the altar and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. While the congregation sung a hymn, two young girls made their way to the altar.
These girls had already asked the Lord to come into their hearts at an earlier age, however they believed that asking for salvation was a continual process. Without any concern for others and how they may judge them, they approached the altar. This is why the word says “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
The pastor explained to the two girls (and the rest of the congregation) that we only need to ask God to save us one time. According to the Bible, what we must do to be saved is very clear. “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
While the pastor addressed the congregation, my mind immediately begin to wonder. I could not help but to think, ” Wow, these two girls were willing to come before the congregation a second time to ask the Lord to save them!” They were not worried about what people may think about them. Their only concern was to make sure that they were right with the Lord.
How many adults would be willing to stand in front of a full congregation to make sure that they were right with God? Most of us would pray silently in our seats to the Lord, instead of going to the altar because we would not want people to judge us. We have to be careful not to allow man to become more important than God. Do not forget that “man does not have a heaven or hell to put you in”. So keep things in proper perspective!
Challenge: Today How have you allowed “being an adult” to hurt your Christian marriage? Are you refusing to forgive your spouse? Do you find yourself consumed in what other people may think or say about your marriage? What areas in your Christian marriage could be more child-like? If we want to make it to heaven, we need to adapt some characteristics of a child.
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