Get Excited – Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 19:14 (NKJV)

Take it from a father of two, little children are very easily excited.  A small gift, a discovery of a piece of lint, a hug, etc, it does not take much at all to get their eyes beaming and their arms waving.  As a dad there is nothing like seeing my kids happy and excited; it warms my heart and makes me smile.

Many times as Christians we tend to seem unhappy and burdened with the cares of the world.  Maybe things are not going our way, maybe the road is tough, and we just do not know how things are going to work out.  I have went to church with and ran into many Christians who talk about the joy of Jesus, but seem to have lost it somewhere along the way; they need to rekindle the fire inside and become excited about life, and life eternal in Christ!

If anyone has a reason to be excited it is Christians; we serve God who loves us, died to pay for our sins, redeems us, and promises us an unspeakably joyful, never ending paradise with Him!  We are saved from our sins; we are cleansed from our unrighteousness.  Isn’t it about time we started acting like it?  Not because we “have” to, but because we can!  For goodness sake, we are joint heirs to the kingdom of Heaven!  It really does not get any better then this!

Do we have problems, trials, fears, failures, heartbreaks? Oh yes, but I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8: 14-18 (NKJV)

If that is not reason to be excited, nothing is!  Get into the word, talk to God in prayer, fellowship, witness, and by all means GET EXCITED about your relationship with Jesus! Don’t know how? Spend some time with a little child, they are pros!

Are you reading this and you don’t have a relationship with Jesus?  Let me give you reason to be excited: YOU CAN!  He wants you to share in our joy!  Jesus loves You! Want to know more, you are in luck; the answers are in the Bible. You can also feel free to talk to someone you know who has a relationship with Jesus. You can email me at bradcolemanphotography@gmail.com!

Let’s all get excited!!! 

Go Naked – Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 19:14 (NKJV)

If there is one thing that little kids like to do, it is go naked.  I’m convinced if we would let them my kids would never wear cloths.  They are comfortable with who they are and they do not care who knows it.  They are completely genuine.

Now I am not suggesting that we strip off our clothes and run around naked; we need to keep our cloths on. I am suggesting that we throw off all of the layers of deception and pseudo-personalities.  We are not doing anyone any favors when we try and hide our sins, or even who we really are; we need to be authentic with one another and before God.

We do not fool God when we live a fake life, He sees our heart.  We may fool others for a while, but ultimately the only one we are fooling is our self. We become so burdened by our fabricated life that we stop truly living.  We forget that if we are in Christ we are a new creation; we have no need for deceptive living.

Be like little children and go spiritually naked before God. You will find it a great relief!

Love to Learn – Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 19:14 (NKJV)

Earlier my daughter was looking at a yellow cartoon dog in a book; she pointed at the dog and said that it was purple.  When we told her that it was yellow she replied, “Yellow, not purple.” She was so eager to learn the correct color that it did not even faze her when she was corrected; as a matter of fact it seemed to excite her, she now knew that the dog was indeed yellow, not purple!

Children are like sponges; they take in everything and they are so eager to learn.  They rejoice in learning something new and are ready to be directed to the truth when their way of thinking is wrong.  Everyday brings new joys through new experiences.  A happy, healthy child is not stagnant, but always ready for a new adventure.

As Christians some of us need to shake off our pride and stagnation; we need to become like children, eager to learn and grow deeper in our relationship with God. We need to graciously accept correction, not as if God is trying to hurt us but knowing that He wants us to grow by learning the truth.

How much joy does it bring God when we learn a deep truth about Him and His character and our eyes light up with joy?  God wants us to know Him in a deeper more intimate relationship!  He also wants us to continue to learn about the world He created for us to enjoy. Truly what a great God He is who has given us a vast universe to explore and an inquisitive and intelligent mind to enjoy it with.

Seek to learn something new today. As you read the scriptures ponder on God’s character; and seek to learn how to follow His perfect example. Then take time to stop and admire a piece of His creation, its natural beauty, its wonderful craftsmanship, its resonating reflection of God’s handiwork!

Keep it Simple – Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 19:14 (NKJV)

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I over complicate everything; I over analyze, over think, and over burden myself.  I could learn a lot from my children, they keep things simple.  They do not worry about what others think of their cloths, what people will think if they eat another cookie, how their hair looks, or if anyone will criticize when they sing “Jesus Loves Me” for everyone to hear in public.  Life for a child is simple: they trust mommy and daddy to provide all their needs. Reminds me of Matthew 6:31-33 (NKJV):

31Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'32For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Children do not concern themselves with worry, doubt and anxieties; for them there is no need. They know everything  is already taken care of for them.  Children know only how to be children; they have not been weighted down with the world.  We as Christians should seek to relearn this lesson in simplicity. If we would just listen to the words of scripture, and seek to lay off every burden, giving it up to Christ (1 Peter 5:7); we could live fuller, more joyful lives.  Further more if we would show ourselves as the children of God, acting as such, we would be more pleasant to be around and more apt to freely share the gospel with those who need it most: the lost.

Lay off the weights that you have picked up along the way of life; you are not meant to carry them.  Run and rejoice freely in Jesus Christ! When times get hard, when life gets scary, when the road is tough, and you do not know where to go or how to make it, do what the children do: run to your Father! He will provide you with all you need.