Mathew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
The disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for those who are serving in the military overseas, that God may protect them and bring them back safely.
It's hard to focus on "being God's" when you're focused on showing Him how good you are.
As I envisioned the disciples approaching Jesus, I'm envisioning their chests sticking out and each disciple trying to "stand taller" than the others.
Then, Jesus throws them a curve ball.
Children need their parents, and in that, we can see how much we need to rely on God for everything that we need. I know that for me personally, I blaze right through the petition in the Our Father: "Give us this day our daily bread." At times, I'm so proud that I'm at least saying an Our Father that I forget how humbling and "child-like" the prayer is and can be.
Today, remember that God already knows how good you are, so you don't have to impress Him. He loves you so much that He comes to you, o lost sheep, so that we can be with Him in heaven. Take care and God Bless.
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