Colossians 3 is a chapter related to holy living. As we have discovered how to become God’s people, and we are through faith in Jesus, this chapter calls for us to live in a manner worthy of the Lord and a manner which reflects the character of God. The Apostle Paul, at the end of this chapter, gives some very specific instructions for us in the pursuit of holiness as to how we pursue that in our homes and in our families. In this study we will see His instructions to children.
There is a story of a group of fathers in a waiting room at the hospital. This was in the days when the fathers were not allowed to be in the room when their children were born. They were waiting for words from the doctors. The first doctor came into the waiting room and looked at one of the men and said, “Congratulations, your wife has just given birth to twins.” The man looked at the doctor and said, “That is incredible news and what is even more incredible is I play baseball for the Minnesota Twins.” They all had a great chuckle about that.
A bit later another doctor came out and looked at one of the men and said, “Congratulations, your wife has just given birth to triplets.” He said, “Oh, what great news! That is incredible! I work for the 3M Company.” At this, another man, off in the corner of the waiting room, fell over out cold. The doctor came over and gave him some Epson salts and asked, “What happened?” The man said, “I work for 7 UP!”
Children are a blessing from God and that is to be sure. God directs much of His revelation to children, so this study is presented with children in view. Much of it is directed specifically for those in our families who are yet dependent upon moms and dads.
The Bible has much to say about a son or daughter who harbors a rebellious attitude toward his or her dad, and none of it is good. Consider these Scriptures. We read, from the New King James Version the following. In Proverbs 15,
5 A fool despises his father’s instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent.
In Proverbs 19, we read,
26 He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
In Deuteronomy 27, we read,
16 “Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt. And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’”
In Proverbs 30, we read,
17 The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.
That is a rather a gross analogy, but it is a gross analogy for a gross sin; the sin of a child’s disobedience, rebellious attitude, and a disrespect toward one’s parents. God considers rebellion against parents as a rebellion against Himself. Our Lord gives us examples to illustrate the gravity of this sin. One such example we would read of, in 1 Samuel 2, is the example of Eli’s sons. Eli was a prophet of God and we read,
12 Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD… 17 This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD’s sight, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt… 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the LORD’s people.”
What occurred between Verses 12 and 17 was a description of them disrespecting the instructions concerning sacrifices made to the Lord. This story continues on into 1 Samuel 4, and there we read, in judgment upon Eli’s son’s disobedience, he had them killed in battle as the Nation was fighting the Philistines. A report comes from the battlefield to Eli and Eli asks the reporter, “What happened on the battlefield?” The reporter was a bit hesitant, and Eli presses. The man brings the news and says,
17 …“Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
Disobedience is no small matter. It is a very significant and serious sin. Hophni and Phinehas first started to drink this poison, which eventually killed them, as youths, as boys growing up in their home. Early on they trained their hearts toward disobedience as they grew up in their home, and they began to have this disrespectful heart attitude. The seeds they sowed in childhood eventually grew to become a deadly fruit. That is the way it is and that is why it matters what children do, because children, even young ones, are sowing seeds which will produce a fruit and we wish that fruit to be sweet rather than bitter.
What caution is before us, in Colossians 3? Positively, the Scripture reveals multiple blessings upon children who obey. While there is cursing upon children who disobey, there are multiple blessings upon those who respond with a humble heart toward their parents. In Proverbs 3, we read of God’s blessings upon children who obey,
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
We are again reminded this is a chapter which is a call from God for us to live holy lives; lives separate from our culture and lives which overcome our own flesh. We discovered, in Verses 1 and 2, God says,
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated… 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things… 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming… 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
After giving these general principles about holy living, Paul turns his attention to the specific application of the home. It is the home in which God intends for faith to germinate, take root, and bear fruit.
First, he turns his attention to wives, as he says,
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
He is saying, “Wives, this is how you pursue godliness in your response to your husbands; that your life toward God is directly related to your life, attitude and relationship to your husband’s.
Then Paul says,
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Paul is saying, “Husbands, here is how you perceive godliness, that you responsiveness to God is directly related to your love for your wives.”
Now Paul turns his attention to children who are yet living in the home, and he says,
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
He is saying, “Children, here is how you are to pursue godliness and a holy life. Your relationship to God is directly tied to your responsiveness to your parents. Children, here are some specific instructions.”
This verse is interesting, in what it teaches us about children. It teaches us two spiritual truths regarding children and God’s view of them. First, it teaches us children can know God early in their lives. There is some dispute among certain circles of the church, but I do not know why because I believe Scripture is clear about this; that it is possible for a child today to hear the Gospel, respond to the Gospel, and begin to live a godly life. Otherwise, this verse would make no sense in the context if it were not possible for a child to be strongly connected in faith in Jesus and then begin to understand the implications of that connection to the Lord Jesus. This verse tells us much about God’s view of the spiritual state of children; that God does give spiritual grace to children, even as He does to adults. The first goal of a child’s life is the same as the first goal of an adult’s life, and that is to know God and to enjoy Him.
God loves children and He calls them to believe early in life. No child ever needs to say to themselves, “I am too young to be able to follow Jesus. I am too young to consider these matters.” No, God has a very special plan, early on, to call a child to follow Him. Children have as much opportunities to walk with Jesus, and to walk with Jesus just as closely, as any adult does.
The second implication of this command is children are given responsibilities God holds them to. In talk much in our culture about the “rights” of children, and I believe there are some rights God gives to children. We talked about one in the previous study and that is the right to life; every child has a right to continue to live without interference from any other adult.
The emphasis of Scripture is not so much on “rights”, although they are understood and taught, as it is on “responsibilities”. Early on in a child’s life, a child is said, by God, to be held accountable to God for the way in which they live. No child can say, “I am under the age of accountability for this or that sin”, but rather God gives every child a specific responsibility to live up to. A child can please God and a child can displease God. In this verse we see, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”
There are three instructions from God, for sons and daughters, we will look at in this study as we unpack this verse, and we will be searching through other Scriptures. The first instruction is to obey your parents when you are young. The second instruction is to honor your parents as long as you are alive. The third instruction is to care for your parents whey they are old.
“Obey your parents when you are young.” Who is this command given to? Right away we see the word “children” and it is to all children, without exception. Who falls into this category of being children? This word, children, is a general term and it does not reference age so much as it does a station in life. By definition, the word, children, refers to a son or a daughter who is still dependent upon mom or dad financially or emotionally.
A teenager may think, “I do not have to obey my parents anymore because I am no longer a child. I am fifteen, sixteen, seventeen years of age.” As long as a son or daughter depends upon their parents to pay their bills, either totally or in part, depending upon them of their living expenses, that person is still in the category of being a child. A person may be twenty or thirty years old, and if their parents are still providing room and board, car expenses, and other living needs, this commandment still rests upon them.
A wise parent changes the kinds of things they ask, or tell, their children to do as they grow older, and the degree of obedience they demand of a child in reference to their growth toward independence. A parent should understand that as they give commands, but as far as the commandment and the responsibility of God upon children, it is comprehensive and complete. This commands references sons and daughters who live in financial and emotional dependence upon their parents.
What are these children called to do as they obey? I believe there are four specific characteristics which mark biblical obedience. The first characteristic of biblical obedience is: biblical obedience is comprehensive. The command says, “Children, obey your parents IN ALL THINGS.” The only limit placed upon a child’s obedience is the commandment given conforms to God’s precepts. A parent looses his or her authority when they exact obedience from a child who is in clear violation of God’s Word. When they ask a child to disobey God they loose their authority to command.
Jesus knew some children would have to go against their parents in order to follow Him. In Luke12, we read,
51 “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Jesus knew there may be times when ungodly parents stand in the way of a child’s pursuit of Jesus’ Lordship. He says, in this case, there is a necessary sword which comes into the family, a necessary conflict, and a necessary fight, but, in reference to Colossians 3:20, while there is an understood limitation to this, the emphasis is not upon the limitation but upon the comprehensive nature of this responsibility given to children.
When a child becomes a believer and come to faith in Jesus, He says they naturally, as a progress of their faith, become more obedient to their parents, and not less obedient. Disobedience to parents is a characteristic of an unregenerate heart and a heart which, as of yet, has not been made alive by God’s Spirit. This is one of the reasons disobedience to parents is such a serious sin in the eyes of God. It is because it is not a characteristic of those who have received God’s grace, but it is a characteristic of those who are without God’s grace, without life, without redemption, and a characteristic of those who reject God’s Son.
The Apostle Paul, in Romans 1, is revealing the depravity of man and of off men. He is speaking of that depravity in that downward progression away from God and toward evil. In Romans 1, there is an interesting list and he says, in Verses 29 and following,
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents…
“They” are this world which did not retain the knowledge of God, but gave themselves over to depraved mind and to their own desires. And, at the end of the verse, do you see how significant disobedience of parents is in the eyes of God.
In 2 Timothy 3, God is going to reveal this is one of the characteristics of people in the last days,
2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents…
The first mark of biblical obedience is it is comprehensive and it is in everything. No area is off limits. There is no area where a child, whether that child is just born or twenty years old, can say their parents, “You do not have any right to tell me what to do in this particular area. You do not have any right to tell me to that or not to do that.” No, the parents are given that right, so every area of life is within the reach of parent’s authority, including the way you dress, the social life and the friends you hang out with, what you do in your leisure, what music you listen to, the education you receive, and your commitment to church life. All of these things are within the limits of a parent’s authority.
A wise parent is wise in the way and they are not to exasperate their children and we will look at that in our next study, but from the child’s point of view, they must understand there is no area which is off limits. A parent may say, “Will you do something for me?” The child will ask, “Tell me what you are asking me to do before I commit?” No, that is not the heart-attitude of a godly son or a godly daughter living within the home. A child is ready to do whatsoever a parent asks, even if it seem unreasonable to them, and there are many things our parents ask us to do, as we are growing up, which seem very unreasonable, but the principle is biblical obedience is not conditioned upon the logical nature of the command, but rather upon the God-given authority of the parent.
The second characteristic of biblical obedience is: it concerns a right heart-attitude. Biblical obedience is far more than external actions, but it has very much to do with an internal attitude. Because of this, biblical obedience can never be given with a “roll of the eyes”, with a muttering under the breath, “Oh, brother!”, with a shrug of the shoulders, with a posture which is defiant, or with feet stamping about. Biblical obedience is always given with a heart-attitude of submission and a willingness to obey. It does not mean it is easy, because it is not, but it means the heart-attitude is in check.
There is a story told of a little boy named “Johnny” who is told, as a result of discipline, to go, “Sit in the corner!” He went to the corner, but he stood up with his arms folded. The parent said, “I said, sit down in the corner.” He refused and remained standing, so he received more discipline and was told to “Sit in the corner!” There was no response and he received more discipline. Finally, he was tired of the pain of the discipline being applied to him, so he sat down. His dad remarked, “Johnny, that is good. You are sitting down. You are obeying.” Johnny replied, “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I am standing up on the inside”, to reveal he was not obeying because biblical obedience concerns a right attitude of the heart. It is not enough for a child to be concerned their actions externally conform, but a child needs to consider, “Is my heart in the right attitude as I respond to my parents, because if it is not I am not pursuing godliness in life and I am not going to be able to please God with my life.”
Parents, do not be satisfied with external conformity to your commands, but consider your child’s heart. I urge you to discipline and train them toward a respectful and submissive attitude. An obedience which lacks proper respect and a proper attitude is not obedience.
The third mark of biblical obedience is: it is timely. That is to say, it is immediate. Delayed obedience is not obedience. Parents, remember the kind of obedience you expect is the kind of obedience your child will give you.
I remember growing up in my neighborhood and a few houses down there was a woman, Mrs. Danfield. She had a little boy just a little bit younger than me, and he was one of those kids in the neighborhood who was a bit of a terror. Mrs. Danfield has this huge voice that would carry throughout the entire neighborhood. We could be seven, eight, or nine houses away and we could hear her voice. She would cry out for her son, Danny, and we would hear her holler, “DANNY!!!!!!” I would look at Danny and he would continue playing. I would say, “Danny, your mom is calling you.” He would reply, “I know my mom is calling me.” We would hear her call louder and louder, with more and more anger. Then there would be more and more threats accompanied with the calling. Finally, at the very end, Danny would get up and go home. He knew exactly when his mom really, really meant it. He knew how long before his mom would act upon her threats and he would wait and wait and it would build and build with explosive anger filling the neighborhood.
Children understand when a parent “means it”. They know what kind of obedience you and I expect. Often there is the “one, two, three” method of calling children to obedience. We ask them to do something and they do not do it. We say, “I mean it,” and they don’t do anything. We say, “Okay, one, two…” and on “three” what happens? They get up and they respond. They know you did not “mean it” when you first said it. They know you did not “mean it” when you said “one” or “two”, but by three that is when you “meant it”. What is wrong with that method? We are training our children toward an untimely obedience which is not biblical obedience. Children, it is important you understand, if you are going to please God, it means you do not have to be threatened, but rather you are ready immediately to respond to your parents.
The fourth mark of biblical obedience is: it is, finally, complete. This means the child does all their parents teach or ask them to do. Children, if you are to obey in a godly way, it means you do everything your parents say to completion; not half of the groceries be put away, not half of the dishes put in the dishwasher or be put away, or not half of the room being cleaned, but completeness is the standard of obedience.
On more than one occasion, my teenage boys will say, “I did not hear you ask me to do that, dad. I did not know that is what you wanted me to do.” This is interesting, because as we look at this word “obey”, the Greek term translated “obey” in Colossians 3:20, is a compound word. Those words are: “to listen” and “under” and it literally means “to listen under your parents”; in other words, to listen and pay close attention to what they say and then do what they say.
There are some common phrases we may hear from parents today toward their children: “Are you listening to me?”; “Did you hear what I said?”; “Now listen to me, now!” What they are calling their children to is to do that which God commands and the responsibility lies upon the child to hear what is said and not just upon the parent to communicate adequately. There is some responsibility for the parent to communicate adequately, and we will discuss that in the next study, but there is a responsibility places upon you, as a child, to listen and to hear so that, if your parent said something and they said it clearly enough, but you did not take the energy to listen closely, that is disobedience and that is breaking this call God gives to you.
Children, I know obedience to parents is hard work. It is very difficult and it goes against your nature, but God will give you grace if you ask Him for it. He will protect you from a heart which becomes rebellious, hard, and embittered. What a blessing it will be to you if you grow up and you are free from that kind of spirit.
As we review these four characteristics, let us use an example. Billy is asked to go upstairs and clean his room. His first response might be, “It is my brother’s turn. I cleaned it last time. Why am I asked to clean it again?” Billy is missing the idea biblical obedience is comprehensive; that is to say, it does not have to make logical sense, fair, right, or just, but the parents asked him to do it. Therefore, biblical obedience calls him to do it.
The second response Billy might make for that call from mom or dad to clean the room is, “Okay, I will right after I finish this PlayStation game. As soon as this is over I will go up and do it.” Billy is misunderstanding biblical obedience is not in their own timeframe but it is timely and immediate; it is when the parent asks him, or her, to do it.
The third response Billy might have is to get up, stomp upstairs obviously upset, muttering under his breath, as he goes to clean his room, knowing there may be dire consequences, from experience, if he does not. Again, he misses the point of biblical obedience because he misunderstands obey means to obey with the right heart-attitude.
The fourth response Billy might have, which is very predominant, is to go up to the room and rearrange a few things and come back down ten minutes later. When the parent goes up to inspect the room, expecting the job to be done, they find all sorts of things out of place, and they ask, “I thought I ask you to clean your room?” Billy may say, “I did clean my room.” They say, “What are all of the clothes doing all over here and why are the books all over the place?” He says, “I put away…” and he lists all of the things he put away. In his mind he has obeyed, but biblically he has not because such obedience has not been complete.
Parents, we must be careful not to allow excuses for son’s and daughter’s disobedience. We cannot say, “I have a strong-willed child and that is the reason why they disobey.” “My child has an attention deficit disorder.” ‘”My child is only two or three years of age.”
Fathers and mothers ought to be considerate before they ask their children to do some things and they should ask if it is “age appropriate” to do some things, but let us not make excuses for their spirit in their hearts in their lack of obedience.
The promise given here is interesting. It says, “Children, obey your parents for this please the Lord.” For the believer, this is the greatest desire of our heart; to please God. This command, while it is a general principle and rule for all children, whether Christian or non-Christians, to follow God in this, this command is given to Christian children, because only Christian children care whether it pleases the Lord or not. If a child rises up and says, “That is not very much motivation for me. I am looking for more allowance and more freedom, and I will barter with my parents in these ways and I will beg because of these things,” you are missing the essence of Christianity and the essence of your faith. The essence of your faith is you can enjoy God, and if you do not obey your parents that will hinder you from enjoying God and worshipping Him.
The second instruction is: honor your parents when you are alive. In Ephesians 6 is a command which is a bit more extended,
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
This is the Fifth Commandment in the list of Ten Commandments, and here we have Paul reciting for us the commandment God gave to Moses to give to the children of Israel. This is a commandment which falls into line with our pursuit of holiness. The Ten Commandments were not given so a people could become redeemed and become accepted by God. The Ten Commandments were given to a people who already had been redeemed, and now were saying, “Because we are redeemed by God’s grace, because we were rescued from slavery, because God, in His grace, has delivered us, we want to live our lives conforming to Him.” So, here are ten principles, or Commandments, for a people who are connected to God and who desire to live godly lives.
The word “honor” literally means “to be heavy” and “to give weight to”. It is idea of giving profound reverence to parents and giving them great esteem. By way of slang, someone may say, “Hey, you are not giving me an ‘ounce’ of respect.” They are taking about the idea of weightiness. God tells us we are not only to give our parents an ounce of respect, but we are to give them “tons” of respect, honor them, and give weight to our life attitude and life toward them.
This commandment is not relegated to children only, but it is relegated to all of us as sons and daughters as long as we are alive. It is not divided out in reference to the station of our life in regard to our dependence or independence, but we are to give honor, weight, significance, respect, and esteem to our parents.
How exactly do we do that? Let me give you three brief ways. First, honor, give them weight and respect, through your words to them and in your words about them. The popular theory today is to say, if you want to overcome some pains in your childhood, you focus upon the faults, flaws, and frailties of your parents and you bring them all up into your mind. It is a catharsis to do this. You dig up the skeletons in your parent’s closet and expose them, first, to yourself, your own mind, and your own thinking, and then to the world. This is the way toward emotional health.
Listen to what Proverbs 20 says,
20 He who curses his father or his mother, his lamp will go out in time of darkness.
This is not to say we are to ignore or put our head in the sand at any difficulties of our growing-up years, but it is to say we have to be careful, in thinking about those things, we do not bring a curse upon our father or mother; not from our own lips or not from others. God has a different formula for emotional and spiritual health and that is we would honor our parents, but notice the comprehensive nature. It is not just for parents who have lived and acted honorably, and this is where it gets hard, but it is “honor your parents”. If they are your parents, they are the ones you are called to honor. You may say, “But, you do not know how I grew up and you do not know how my parents treated me when I was younger, or how they treat me now.” They may not be deserved of your honor, but you are called to honor them for the sake of God’s glory and for the sake of your own life.
This commandment does not come with exemptions for those who have dishonorable parents. The health of your soul depends upon your obedience to God in this. We dishonor, not on the basis of its being deserved, but we dishonor upon the basis of God’s authority and upon the basis of God’s grace, knowing God’s Commandments are not burdensome. They are there for our health and for our peace so we might be freed from bitterness, so we speak respectfully to them and about them.
Speaking or cursing your parents will only damage your soul. I know, for many, it will be very difficult, but God will give you grace. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good, the Scripture says.
This commandment comes with a promise and the promise given here is, “that it might go well with you”; that you might have a healthy soul and a healthy life, and that you might enjoy long life on the earth. I do not believe this only refers to chronological longevity, but the longevity of a quality of life.
I know one of my sons, Daniel, right after my grandmother died, who lived into her nineties, said, “Boy, Grandma Haggerty must have really honored her parents!” The promise could reference that, but I believe it references yet even more. Honor your parents with your speech and honor your parents with your time.
It is important we not become so busy our parents are left out of our lives, but we reserve time for phone calls, for visits, for cards, for fun activities, for service to them, for interest in their life, and allowing time for them to enjoy our children. Honor your parents with your time.
At a funeral of one dad recently, a grown daughter came to me and talked of how special it was, during the last few years of her dad’s life, every Friday they went out and had lunch together. This is the way this daughter honored her dad and it became a huge blessing for her as God knit their hearts together.
The third way in which we honor our parents is by living an honorable life. Proverbs 10 says,
1 A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
The way we live our lives brings either honor or dishonor upon our parents. I know it is rarely the intent, in an adult’s life, to live in such a way to bring shame to their parents, but that is the effect. Someone may say, “That should not be connected at all. I made my own wrong choices.” That may be true it is not your parent’s fault, but when you live in a dishonorable way your parents certainly connect that to their life and they cannot help but connect it. One of the ways you might honor your parents is to live an honorable life.
Parents, I encourage you to make it easy for your children to honor you and we will discuss that further in the next study.
The last instruction is to care for your parents when they are old. In 1 Timothy 5, we read,
4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God… 8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
The first line of “social security” in God’s economy is not the government, but it is the family. This is how God intended for us to grow old; by our caring for our parents and our children caring for us as we grow older.
There was a poll taken recently in the United States and that poll found only fifty-percent of Americans believed it was their responsibility to care for their parents as they age. One half of the people in the United States said, “We do not think it is our responsibility at all!” And, their actions reveal that and a attitude which says, “I just want to get my parents out of the way so I can live my own life.” For the Christian, we recognize the call to care for our parents when they are old.
I am very thankful for the example my parents gave me in how they cared so deeply for their mom and dad as they grew old, even to the point of, at one time, having one of the grandparents living in the home so they would not have to go to the nursing home prematurely. Her medical needs eventually caused her to have to go to a nursing home, but as long as they possibly could, my mom and dad would pay sacrifices and stay focused and have concentration. If they were busy, and they had teenagers in the house, but they took my grandmother in and it made a huge impact upon my life.
In Matthew 18, Jesus said something very interesting about children,
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
The most important decision a person has to make in their life is the decision they make in regard to Jesus, and Jesus tells us we must look at these children. There are responsibilities given to them by God, but look at them; they are dependent, they are needy, they come with open hands realizing they do not give to their parents but their parents give to them, and He says, “Unless you become like a child, not childish, but childlike in your humble responsiveness to God, realizing you need God to do something for you, and then are converted, changed, and conformed by the grace of God you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
I ask you, have you become like a little child in reference to God? Have you opened up your heart and said, “God, I need Jesus Christ and His sacrifice upon the cross in order to forgive my sin, and like a little child trusting in their parents I trust in you and lean wholly upon your for my life and for my salvation.”
Today could be the day in which you become a child of God and what a day it would be!