{"id":850,"date":"2014-06-25T18:00:47","date_gmt":"2014-06-25T18:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonsensechristianity\/?p=850"},"modified":"2014-06-25T18:00:47","modified_gmt":"2014-06-25T18:00:47","slug":"the-kingdom-of-heaven-how-do-we-get-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonsensechristianity\/2014\/06\/the-kingdom-of-heaven-how-do-we-get-there.html","title":{"rendered":"The Kingdom of Heaven — How Do We Get There?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
When we’re very young, we can’t even walk on our own. Children are a visual reminder that we are not mighty mountains of strength and wisdom, completely in charge of our destiny. Madonna and Toddler, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed open edition print at iCanvasART and Framed Canvas Art.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to get to heaven is a piece of information that from the beginning of time, humanity has wanted to know. The rich young ruler of Matthew 19:16 – 29 (Mark 10: 17 – 30, Luke 18: 18 – 30) asked Jesus,<\/p>\n

“What good thing must I do to get eternal life?”<\/em><\/p>\n

Nicodemus, a religious leader, visited Jesus secretly at night and circumspectly touched upon the topic, something that should comfort the rest of us ordinary, non-leadership type people, because as Jesus observed,<\/p>\n

“You are Israel’s teacher . . . and \u00a0do you not understand these things?”<\/em>\u00a0(John 3: 10)<\/p>\n

(Remember this the next time an assertive, confident bastion of the Christian faith tells you how to live your life and where to send your money.)<\/p>\n

Are There Instructions?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Why didn’t Jesus just flat out tell us what to do? we quite sensibly ask.<\/p>\n

Well, He did flat out tell us a number of things, many of which we avoid doing (“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”<\/em>\u00a0— Luke 6: 46), and one of the many issues Christ addressed was the kingdom of heaven, and what it takes to get there:<\/p>\n

“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles\u00a0himself\u00a0like this child is the greatest in\u00a0the kingdom of heaven.”<\/em>\u00a0(Matthew 18: 2)<\/p>\n

Ah, something concrete\u00a0we\u00a0can do — become like a little child. Only, like any major change in our life, it’s not a task\u00a0we\u00a0accomplish\u00a0on our own without God’s hand in ours: we don’t awake in the morning and say,<\/p>\n

“I’m going to be like a little child! I’ll start by staying in bed until mom calls me down for breakfast.”<\/p>\n

What is it about children that differentiates them from adults? Let’s look at\u00a0three\u00a0things, real quick:<\/p>\n

The Least of These<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

1)\u00a0They’re vulnerable.<\/strong>\u00a0Children need to be protected, and they know this. They look to someone stronger, wiser, and bigger than they are. (Before we mention the word “authority,”\u00a0please note\u00a0that there is a huge difference between a parent and a policeman, between God and the government. Make sure you put your trust in the right\u00a0power.) We need our Father to guide us, teach us, hold us, and fight for us.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Man’s first home was in a garden, protected and safe, in close companionship with his Creator. Lilac Festival, original oil painting by Steve Henderson. Also available as a licensed, open edition print at Framed Canvas Art.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There’s nothing wrong with being weak — we all are. It’s only tragic when\u00a0we think we’re\u00a0alone, on our own, and fully dependent upon me, myself, and I, something that is not\u00a0so:<\/p>\n

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,”<\/em>\u00a0God tells the Apostle Paul, and us, in 2 Corinthians 12: 9). Yes, you’re weak. But thank God, He is strong.<\/p>\n

It’s the Best Policy<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0They’re honest.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0The most disconcerting thing about children is that they speak their minds, and a critical\u00a0aspect of “educating” them is to conform those minds to think and say what the adult — corporate, political, financial, controlling — world wants to hear. By that time, they have moved into and accepted our\u00a0language\u00a0of deceit, where we call the Ministry of War the Department of Defense, mandatory taxation a “contribution to society,” or the taking of life the freedom of choice.<\/p>\n

When we are constantly guarding our words so that we won’t be attacked, is it any wonder we have trouble coming before God, and honestly pouring out our hearts?<\/p>\n

Jeremiah, often disparagingly called the “weeping prophet,” was remarkably\u00a0outspoken\u00a0before God —<\/p>\n

“You are always righteous, O Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice . . .”<\/em>\u00a0(Jeremiah 12: 1)<\/p>\n

“Shockingly candid,” is one description I have read of Jeremiah. Isn’t he just putting into words what many of us already think? Sort of like what a child would do?<\/p>\n

Pride Bloats Our Souls<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0They’re humble.<\/strong>\u00a0Children are small, physically weak in comparison to adults, and powerless.\u00a0God designed children\u00a0to be under the protection of\u00a0loving parents\u00a0(not the state),\u00a0and secure in the safety of the home where they\u00a0can\u00a0grow. Look at a kitten, a puppy, a baby goat, a fawn — we accept that these animals were born into and need the protection of their parent, and that they learn from that parent.<\/p>\n

We all know how hard it is to teach someone who is convinced that they know the lesson already, and their mistaken confidence in themselves and their abilities keeps them from actually learning. While this swaggering\u00a0attitude\u00a0is highly prized in modern society (we call it self-assurance, and that’s not such a bad appellation), God calls us to a different confidence:<\/p>\n

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”<\/em>\u00a0(1 John 5: 14). God isn’t interested in how much we think of ourselves, but in\u00a0how much we trust in Him. He wants us to\u00a0ask<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Children are smarter than what we give them credit for — if the young child in your life is averse to spending time around your new business partner, \u00a0you might\u00a0think twice about the business relationship. The very innocence of young children enables them to identify, and recoil from, well camouflaged evil in others. They also gravitate toward goodness. As we become more like children ourselves, we\u00a0will\u00a0do this as well.<\/p>\n

And then we are on our way to the kingdom of heaven.<\/p>\n

Thank You<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you for joining me at Commonsense Christianity, where I see daily a growing difference between true Christianity — which we can all find in the Bible — and the teachings of those who pronounce themselves spiritual and religious leaders.<\/p>\n

Christianity is the only spiritual offering that does not require a human middleman, a guru, a teacher, or an interpreter. Every single human being has instant access to Jesus by simply crying out to Him. Do this, my friend. Submit to Christ alone,\u00a0and walk where He leads you.<\/p>\n

Posts similar to this one are<\/p>\n

How to Be Great, Important, and Significant<\/a><\/p>\n

Worthless in the World’s Eyes<\/a><\/p>\n

The Work You Do for God<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to get to heaven is a piece of information that from the beginning of time, humanity has wanted to know. The rich young ruler of Matthew 19:16 – 29 (Mark 10: 17 – 30, Luke 18: 18 – 30) asked Jesus, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Nicodemus, a religious…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":561,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,50,5,2,10,11,58,3,15,12,7,8,6],"tags":[1643,19,305,971,73,497,26,22,742,511,153,62,422,110,292,328,454,152],"class_list":["post-850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art","category-children","category-christianity","category-faith","category-family","category-home","category-hope-2","category-inspiration","category-lifestyle","category-parenting","category-personal-growth","category-spiritual-growth","category-spirituality","tag-children","tag-christian","tag-commonsense","tag-confidence","tag-faith-2","tag-father","tag-god","tag-grace","tag-heaven","tag-honest","tag-humble","tag-jesus","tag-kingdom","tag-leader","tag-lord","tag-religious","tag-vulnerable","tag-weak"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Kingdom of Heaven - How Do We Get There? - Commonsense Christianity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonsensechristianity\/2014\/06\/the-kingdom-of-heaven-how-do-we-get-there.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Kingdom of Heaven - How Do We Get There? - Commonsense Christianity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How to get to heaven is a piece of information that from the beginning of time, humanity has wanted to know. 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