1 00:00:02,670 --> 00:00:13,770 Speaker 1: Life Audio Hello and thank you for listening to Your 2 00:00:13,830 --> 00:00:17,419 Speaker 1: Daily Bible Verse, the podcast that examines one verse each 3 00:00:17,500 --> 00:00:21,280 Speaker 1: day to learn more about God and His will for us. 4 00:00:22,100 --> 00:00:25,779 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jessica VanRoekel, and after this short word 5 00:00:25,820 --> 00:00:29,580 Speaker 1: from our sponsor, we will dive into today's Bible verse. 6 00:00:30,140 --> 00:00:47,250 Speaker 1: Matthew 18, verse 3. Today's Bible verse is Matthew 18, 7 00:00:47,250 --> 00:00:50,610 Speaker 1: verse 3. And he said, Truly I tell you, unless 8 00:00:50,650 --> 00:00:54,170 Speaker 1: you change and become like little children, you will never 9 00:00:54,290 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: enter the kingdom of heaven. You know, I think that 10 00:00:58,490 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: figuring out who is the best seems to start at 11 00:01:02,220 --> 00:01:04,860 Speaker 1: a younger and younger age. Kids play King of the 12 00:01:04,900 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: Hill in the school playground where they can see who 13 00:01:07,300 --> 00:01:09,700 Speaker 1: can scramble to the top of a structure and then 14 00:01:10,260 --> 00:01:13,140 Speaker 1: do what needs to be done to stay there. Competitive 15 00:01:13,260 --> 00:01:16,619 Speaker 1: sports start in elementary school with the goal to make 16 00:01:16,660 --> 00:01:18,890 Speaker 1: it to a traveling team by the time they are 17 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:23,289 Speaker 1: in junior high. Our adult tendency toward being the brightest 18 00:01:23,350 --> 00:01:26,570 Speaker 1: and the best has impacted our children's sense of wonder 19 00:01:26,610 --> 00:01:30,460 Speaker 1: and fun. For a brief period, a child doesn't care 20 00:01:30,500 --> 00:01:33,610 Speaker 1: about someone's status, what they look like or what they have. 21 00:01:34,270 --> 00:01:38,590 Speaker 1: They just want to play. Jesus spoke the words in 22 00:01:38,610 --> 00:01:42,130 Speaker 1: today's verse to the disciples when they were arguing about 23 00:01:42,290 --> 00:01:47,210 Speaker 1: who is the greatest. Then he brought a little child 24 00:01:47,270 --> 00:01:51,910 Speaker 1: among them to demonstrate the contrast between the preoccupation with 25 00:01:52,010 --> 00:01:57,100 Speaker 1: significance and the humility of a child. The 18th chapter 26 00:01:57,140 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: of Matthew addresses the principles and attitudes Jesus wants his 27 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:05,910 Speaker 1: followers to be characterized by. The disciples seemed overly concerned 28 00:02:05,950 --> 00:02:09,490 Speaker 1: about greatness and wanted Jesus to settle the matter once 29 00:02:09,570 --> 00:02:13,910 Speaker 1: for all. They still had in mind a temporal kingdom 30 00:02:13,950 --> 00:02:18,250 Speaker 1: of God and wanted to know Jesus' choice for his administration. 31 00:02:18,930 --> 00:02:23,290 Speaker 1: Their minds were more preoccupied with which one of them 32 00:02:23,310 --> 00:02:27,410 Speaker 1: would hold the highest office. At this point, Jesus really 33 00:02:27,450 --> 00:02:31,850 Speaker 1: could have pointed to himself. Instead, he drew a little 34 00:02:31,910 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: child to him. Culturally, in this day and age, children 35 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: were regarded as property rather than individuals. A child was 36 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: subject to the authority of his or her elders and 37 00:02:45,060 --> 00:02:48,540 Speaker 1: not taken seriously except as a responsibility for the adults. 38 00:02:49,530 --> 00:02:54,130 Speaker 1: Children were looked after. They weren't to be emulated. Now, 39 00:02:54,370 --> 00:02:57,610 Speaker 1: even though greatness was a common topic among the disciples, 40 00:02:57,750 --> 00:03:01,489 Speaker 1: Jesus truly didn't dismiss or chastise them for their question. 41 00:03:02,130 --> 00:03:06,169 Speaker 1: Mankind's ambition and drive for greatness is innate. It's a 42 00:03:06,210 --> 00:03:09,609 Speaker 1: godly desire to become what God designed us to be 43 00:03:09,690 --> 00:03:12,870 Speaker 1: and to have our lives matter for Him. You see, 44 00:03:12,910 --> 00:03:15,970 Speaker 1: back in the Garden of Eden, God commanded Adam and 45 00:03:16,030 --> 00:03:19,690 Speaker 1: Eve to rule the earth. But the fall perverted this 46 00:03:20,330 --> 00:03:24,850 Speaker 1: once godly desire, and it distorted mankind's understanding of ambition. 47 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: The fall of mankind misdefined greatness to mean being above people. 48 00:03:31,300 --> 00:03:34,380 Speaker 1: The cultural image at the time of the disciples' questions 49 00:03:34,419 --> 00:03:38,500 Speaker 1: were likely kings and priests who received glory, honor, and 50 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:43,970 Speaker 1: tribute from their people. Jesus validates their ambition by telling 51 00:03:44,050 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: them how to be great. He redefines their perspective about 52 00:03:49,100 --> 00:03:52,970 Speaker 1: greatness because he didn't want them to fail, but he 53 00:03:53,030 --> 00:03:55,650 Speaker 1: wanted them to learn what it means to be great 54 00:03:55,770 --> 00:04:00,390 Speaker 1: in his kingdom. The disciples needed to set aside the 55 00:04:00,430 --> 00:04:04,370 Speaker 1: understanding that to be great meant to have power, and 56 00:04:04,590 --> 00:04:07,750 Speaker 1: Jesus wanted them to replace it with the godly definition 57 00:04:08,110 --> 00:04:12,950 Speaker 1: of greatness being trusting and obedience to their Heavenly Father. 58 00:04:13,930 --> 00:04:17,330 Speaker 1: He drew a little child into their midst and encouraged 59 00:04:17,370 --> 00:04:23,190 Speaker 1: them to adopt a childlike faith. Notice how Jesus said childlike, 60 00:04:23,430 --> 00:04:27,700 Speaker 1: not childish. Becoming like a little child meant to develop 61 00:04:27,779 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: humility and an unconcerned attitude about social status. Jesus himself 62 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,700 Speaker 1: demonstrated a childlike faith because he was humble and trusted 63 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:43,750 Speaker 1: his father and Jesus accepted an inferior position when he 64 00:04:43,810 --> 00:04:48,810 Speaker 1: left heaven to become mankind. He, by nature, you see, 65 00:04:48,950 --> 00:04:51,830 Speaker 1: humanity wants to be the best and make it to 66 00:04:51,860 --> 00:04:55,660 Speaker 1: the top of whatever ladder we find ourselves climbing. And 67 00:04:55,700 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: in the attempt, humanity often serves only themselves rather than 68 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: other people. Jesus showed us a different way. It says 69 00:05:04,940 --> 00:05:08,010 Speaker 1: he lowered himself and then he was lifted high on 70 00:05:08,050 --> 00:05:11,970 Speaker 1: the cross. I've learned that for Christ to transform our 71 00:05:12,029 --> 00:05:15,210 Speaker 1: character and make us fit for his kingdom, our attitude 72 00:05:15,270 --> 00:05:21,750 Speaker 1: really must become childlike. We must be humble, dependent, honest, trusting, 73 00:05:21,930 --> 00:05:25,870 Speaker 1: and ready to be molded by our Heavenly Father. An 74 00:05:26,029 --> 00:05:29,050 Speaker 1: essential fact in the transformation that Christ works in us 75 00:05:29,130 --> 00:05:33,229 Speaker 1: is that he changes the great ones into little children. 76 00:05:33,990 --> 00:05:37,430 Speaker 1: Jesus himself lived a life of complete obedience and was 77 00:05:37,490 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 1: given the name above every name. Like the disciples, we 78 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:46,260 Speaker 1: strain toward greatness. Again, the ambition to be great is valid, 79 00:05:46,700 --> 00:05:51,219 Speaker 1: but how we define greatness needs to change. Jesus taught 80 00:05:51,260 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: that greatness involves serving others and trusting that God's ways 81 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: are best. If we want to be great, then let's 82 00:05:58,420 --> 00:06:00,839 Speaker 1: be like Jesus, who laid down his life so that 83 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:04,160 Speaker 1: we might know the love of God. And I have 84 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:08,170 Speaker 1: to be completely honest here. The longer I serve and 85 00:06:08,230 --> 00:06:14,210 Speaker 1: live for Christ, the more childlike my faith becomes, the 86 00:06:14,270 --> 00:06:20,650 Speaker 1: more I'm okay with not understanding everything that happens before 87 00:06:20,670 --> 00:06:24,750 Speaker 1: it has even happened, but the fact that I can 88 00:06:24,810 --> 00:06:27,450 Speaker 1: trust my Heavenly Father, and that's what I want for 89 00:06:27,529 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: each one of you who are listening. Today, let's choose 90 00:06:33,070 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: someone who we can serve without expecting anything in return, 91 00:06:37,020 --> 00:06:41,339 Speaker 1: or just Let's humbly say to our Heavenly Father, God, 92 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,700 Speaker 1: I don't understand exactly what's happening here, but I'm going 93 00:06:45,730 --> 00:06:50,250 Speaker 1: to trust you because I know you have my best 94 00:06:50,570 --> 00:06:55,230 Speaker 1: in your mind. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so 95 00:06:55,310 --> 00:06:58,610 Speaker 1: much that you are truly our Father. Thank you that 96 00:06:59,570 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: you show us how to be great in your kingdom, 97 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:09,750 Speaker 1: to develop a child-like faith, not a childish faith where 98 00:07:10,210 --> 00:07:13,470 Speaker 1: we throw temper tantrums and pout when we don't get 99 00:07:13,510 --> 00:07:17,210 Speaker 1: our way, but a childlike faith that puts our entire 100 00:07:17,330 --> 00:07:20,930 Speaker 1: trust in you, knowing that what we give to you, 101 00:07:20,970 --> 00:07:24,670 Speaker 1: we can entrust you with it. So Lord, for those 102 00:07:24,730 --> 00:07:28,670 Speaker 1: listening today who are struggling to trust you, struggling to 103 00:07:28,730 --> 00:07:30,990 Speaker 1: come to you with a childlike faith, Lord, I pray 104 00:07:31,010 --> 00:07:32,950 Speaker 1: that you would just do a new thing in their heart, 105 00:07:33,730 --> 00:07:38,850 Speaker 1: that they would release the thing that they're holding tight to, Lord, 106 00:07:38,890 --> 00:07:41,230 Speaker 1: we love you and we give you glory and honor 107 00:07:41,310 --> 00:07:43,750 Speaker 1: and praise. In Jesus' name, amen.