Month: September 2026

On Having a Kingdom Perspective

Mathhew 18:2-4 Phillips Jesus called a little child to his side and set him on his feet in the middle of them all. “Believe me,” he said, “unless you change your whole outlook and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. It is the man who can be as humble as this little child who is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.

John 18:36 Phillips “My kingdom is not founded in this world—if it were, my servants would have fought to prevent my being handed over to the Jews. But in fact my kingdom is not founded on all this!…19:10-11  10 But Jesus gave him no reply. So Pilate said to him, “Won’t you speak to me? Don’t you realise that I have the power to set you free, and I have the power to have you crucified?”  11 “You have no power at all against me,” replied Jesus, “except what was given to you from above. And for that reason the one who handed me over to you is even more guilty than you are.”  …19:14-15 Pilate said to the Jews, “Look, here’s your king!”  15a At which they yelled, “Take him away, take him away, crucify him!”  15b Am I to crucify your king? Pilate asked them. “Caesar is our king and no one else,” replied the chief priests.

Observation

Jesus preached a kingdom that was timeless and upside down from a human perspective, a kingdom not familiar to or rooted in this world (“My kingdom is not founded in this world.”).  His kingdom was culturally and politically neutral, based entirely on eternal principles that are not specific to a time, place or culture, and, apparently, not so complicated to enter into as we tend to make it.  “It is the man who can be as humble as this little child who is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.”

Jesus happened to walk this earth living under the influence of two powerful, oppressive and absolute governments (Romans and Sanhedrin).  Resisting either had severe consequences, even death.  Nonetheless, Jesus was not intimidated by the powers of this world – physical, political or spiritual.  His kingdom is eternal, unlimited in power, ultimate in authority and freedom-based; theirs were temporary, subject to the power of the next conqueror, with transient authority and restrictive.

Yet, this eternal, not-of-this-world kingdom was so simple that only children could were humble enough to understand and accept it.  Children are generally open, accepting and content to be cared for, nurtured, and under the protection of others.  As we mature, our pride gets in the way.  We become more independent (rebellious?), take on more responsibility (depend on our own strength?) and tend to base our responses on our training and past experiences (become more reactive and opinionated?).  Becoming more self-sufficient is not necessary a bad thing – unless we become unwise enough to trust in the kingdoms of this world – our own wisdom, physical power, strength and abilities, secular governments, and so on.  We must not forget how to be cared for, under the protection of, and submitted and committed to our God. 

Impact on Me

“You can do anything you set your mind to do.”  I grew up hearing this mantra.  This is not a Jesus Kingdom principle and is not event true outside of His kingdom.  I am to set my mind to be diligent in seeking the Kingdom of Heaven, but the strength, endurance and destination needs to be directed by and resourced in the wisdom, grace and power of the Holy Spirit.   (“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”. 2 Cor 12:9-10)

So, when Jesus stood silent before Pilate, He was bringing the Kingdom to life through walking the footsteps set before Him – His suffering and death on the Cross.  It is interesting for me to note that the chief priests replied, “Caesar is our king and no one else,” because they had their sights and hope on another kingdom altogether – their own.  How easy it would be for me to fall into the same trap – choosing a kingdom that suited a lust for power, earthly wealth and status, personal fulfillment.  I want to choose appearing weak in earthly eyes if it will make me strong in the Lord.

Devotion

Father God, the Lord of my destiny, the redeemer of my soul, I want my worship to be only of and for You.  Don’t let me become mired in my own lust and greed for earthly rewards, blinded by my own wisdom, strength and planning, choosing to live in the wrong kingdom.  Keep my vision clear and focused on You.  Keep my feet on the path to pursue Your Kingdom alone, led by Your Holy Spirit, resourced and sustained by Your grace, humility, peace, wisdom and power for the journey.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.

On Being Simple Enough

Matthew 18:1-7 PHILLIPS It was at this time that the disciples came to Jesus with the question, “Who is really greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?”  2-4 Jesus called a little child to his side and set him on his feet in the middle of them all. “Believe me,” he said, “unless you change your whole outlook and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. It is the man who can be as humble as this little child who is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.  5-7 “Anyone who welcomes one child like this for my sake is welcoming me. But if anyone leads astray one of these little children who believe in me he would be better off thrown into the depths of the sea with a mill-stone hung round his neck! Alas for the world with its pitfalls! In the nature of things there must be pitfalls. yet alas for the man who is responsible for them!

Observation

Jesus’ disciples must have been taken aback by this answer.  One only has to read the book of Leviticus to know that Jewish religious practice was complicated and exacting; over the years between Abraham and Jesus, legalistic interpretations of The Law by generations of religious leaders added rules and practices that made it even more difficult for anyone to understand or comply.  This complex religious structure meant to create human rankings in God’s sight based on performance and heritage – essentially:

(1) high ranking – the religious elite (privileged experts) who specialized in the study, practice and enforcement of the myriad rules and practices of the complex religious structure, standing as God’s judges of religious acceptability and performance (such as the Chief Priest and the Sadducees and Pharisees of the Sanhedrin);

(2) lower ranking – those with a heart to honor God, who did their best but who, feeling the heavy burden and impossibility of full compliance with the rules and required practices, relied on the judgment of those higher ranking to determine the appropriate sacrifice for the infraction and appropriate method of offering it to receive forgiveness.  This included sincere ones who did their best to recite all the prayers and follow the rules, however imperfectly, without hope of truly pleasing God; and

(3) lowest ranking – those who gave up trying to comply because it was just too complicated or they believed they were too much of a stench in God’s nostrils (e.g., lepers, prostitutes, etc.). 

With this teaching, Jesus is turning His disciples’ understanding on its head, offering a completely counter cultural and seemingly heretical teaching.   “Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom.”  What Jesus taught required the disciples to abandon the past understanding of the Abrahamic covenant (based on centuries of added religious traditions, rules and teaching).  He shattered the idea of a God too holy to approach and in its place asked then to embrace a new covenant of a Father full of redemptive grace offering a personal relationship with God through Jesus the Messiah. Mind boggling when I think of what courage, conviction, persecution, and personal cost it must have required for them to make this choice …. 

Impact on Me

I am a simple person. This teaching of Jesus resonates with my personal understanding of and experience with the heart of our God to embrace and provide eternal life for whosoever will come.  Certainly, there are tenets of faith that are true, eternal and immutable that guide us in following, loving, and serving God well.  Thankfully, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, we have access to repentance which leads to redemption, rescue, and restoration when we either fall into sin or become another’s pitfall in sin.  However, despite wanting to keep my relationship with God simple, just as in the time of Jesus, I can become intimidated by the acceptable rules and practices of my culture or the larger religious community, judging myself as inadequate or guilty in God’s sight because I am not performing up to a standard set by men or my own perfectionism. 

When I do this, I am presuming to set the rules for the limits of God’s grace and my relationship Him, creating my own standards for what is acceptable, denying the completeness of the work of the Cross, and doubting that the love and grace of Father God is sufficient for me – essentially, recreating God into an idol made by my hands in my lesser image, by my expectations, controlling the relationship by what I will allow him to be for me.  Who do I think I am?!  Am I so foolish?!  Why would I ever doubt the sufficiency of the Cross, the love and grace of Father God?!   I find that I fall into this trap when I see myself as the ruler of my own fate (god of my own life?) – adult, experienced, learned, “wise in my own eyes” – and begin to hold my performance up for comparison to another’s.  May I always remember that I do not serve a performance-based God.

Devotion

Father God, full of mercy and love, Redeemer, I worship You.  I want to come as a child to You again, in Christ full of the wonder of You and Your Love, completely submitted to Your care, often sitting at Your feet, a frequent requester of Your wisdom, and willing to trust You to be all I need.   By Your Holy Spirit, search me for every barrier of complication, every standard that does not honor Your grace, love, and sacrifice, every offensive presumption, every sinful way; I come heartbroken to repent of all these and ask that You would forgive me and lead me in becoming more childlike, more dependent, more trusting in my relationship with You.  Because I know You love me past all understanding, I know that You hear me and will work in me to make it so. I commit to seek to please only You. In Jesus’ name, I pray.