Read an Excerpt
Like a Little Child
By Gregory Chigozie Nnaji
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2011 Gregory Chigozie Nnaji
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4634-3665-0
Chapter One
Receiving the Kingdom like a Little Child
Every word of Jesus Christ is infallible. In fact, heaven and earth can pass away but not a jot of His word can go unfulfilled (Mtt. 24:35). Therefore, when He whose every word is true says, "I tell you the truth," then what He is about to say should be noted with every sense of seriousness. In Mark 10:15, Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, anyone who does not receive the kingdom like a little child will never enter it." He said "anyone," which implies whosoever, without exceptions. Jesus is not partial (Col. 3:25), neither is there favoritism with Him (Rom. 2:11). If He says whosoever He means whosoever—everyone. In His words, "Anyone who does not receive the kingdom like a little child will never enter it." This is serious! Whoever dreams of entering the kingdom of God must pay attention.
The one who is the gate to the kingdom (Jn. 10:7, 9) prescribes the condition for entering it. There can be no alternative. Whether you are great or small, rich or poor, if your dream is to enter the kingdom of God, you must receive the kingdom like a little child. Anything short of this precludes you from entering. Note that Jesus said "will never enter." The word "never" depicts impossibility. "Will never enter" therefore means that the person will at no time—and on no occasion—enter. The use of the word "never" shows that the condition is eternal and cannot change. It shows that nothing can change it. It is a great mistake for anybody to think otherwise. Ever since Jesus gave this condition for entering the kingdom of God, which was about two thousand years ago, the same condition still prevails. The best anyone who desires to enter the kingdom can do is to abide by it. There is no alternative. In Matthew 18:3, Jesus stated the condition simply: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Let us look at what receiving the kingdom like a little child means. The kingdom is received by receiving the kingdom news. The kingdom news is received by faith—it is to be simply believed without question or argument. The kingdom message is the message of the cross. It is not to be reasoned out. It is simple: "That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
The message is as simple as John 3:16 puts it: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"(NKJV). The message is that Jesus is "the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 Jn. 2:2). To the wise who want to reason it out, the message is foolishness, but to the simple who believe it, it is the power of God that bring us to salvation.
In 1 Corinthians 1:18–25, it says:
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
Those who want to reason out the gospel lose the benefit of salvation that it offers. The same goes for those who insist on proof before believing. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). The world says seeing is believing, but the word of God says believing is seeing. If anyone wants to be saved (only the saved enter the kingdom), he should first believe, and then he will be saved. It is not the other way round. "Wise men" who want scientific proof are still seeking salvation because God's way of salvation is foolishness to them. They have rejected God's way. But God is pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached.
God, in His wisdom, has hidden the power to save in the gospel and has made faith the access code. The foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom. God says in Isaiah 55:8, "For my ways are not your ways, neither are my thoughts your thoughts. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." God has the sole prerogative to decide how to offer salvation to man, which He alone can give. It is foolishness for man to try to reason how it should be given. It is as foolish as a borrower who tries to give a banker conditions for lending money. Indeed, the borrower needs the money that the bank has. It follows that the bank should prescribe the conditions for lending the money to the borrower. If the borrower really needs the money, he has no other option than to meet the banker's conditions. So it is with salvation and the kingdom of God—God should state the conditions for obtaining them, not the wretched man. To those who insist on their own way, the Scripture has this to say: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are ways of death" (Prov. 14:12, KJV). This is a warning. It calls for repentance and acceptance of God's prescription for entering His kingdom. Remember, it is His kingdom not ours. Make hay while the sun shines.
God, in His wisdom, has hidden the power to save in the gospel and has made faith the access code.
The message of the kingdom may appear too simple to be true, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet, that is the way of God. In that simple message lies the dynamite of God's power to save. This power is ignited through simple obedience. This is what I have discovered about the word of God. It is usually too simple and sometimes appears foolish. Yet, it is power packed. When, however, it is acted upon by faith, its potency is revealed. This is the way we must approach the kingdom message, as foolish as it may appear.
A little child is known for simplicity and trust. A child does not take his father's story with a pinch of salt. He believes him completely—without argument. Why? In his innocence, he trusts his father. He trusts the love and integrity of his father. It does not cross his imagination that his father could deceive him. Hence, he believes every word. That is why it is common to hear a child say, "My father said I should not do that," or "If I do that, something might happen to me." He believes his father. He knows assuredly that his father loves him and trusts in that love.
Also, a little child is innocent. His yes is yes, and his no, no. He sees his father as equally innocent, hence, he believes his every word. Furthermore, a little child sees his father as "almighty," hence, his great confidence in him. He believes that his father is capable of doing whatever he says he will do and so does not doubt him.
God expects exactly the same childlike simplicity, innocence, and trust in us. He wants us to believe his message of the kingdom exactly like the little child who believes his father's story—and for the same reasons the child believes the father. He wants us to trust Him and His love, integrity, and capability. This is the only way to enter the kingdom of God.
Chapter Two
The Kingdom Lifestyle
You not only receive the kingdom like a little child to enter, you also remain like a little child to be in the kingdom. Jesus said: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Mtt. 19:14), implying that the kingdom lifestyle is childlike. This means that the kingdom belongs to people who are like little children. What then are the characteristics of little children that God is looking for in people who must enter and remain in His kingdom? We shall be talking about the characteristics of little children in both contexts of their relationship with their parents and their relationship with others.
Love for Parents
To a little child, nothing can take the place of his parents. No brother, sister, uncle, or aunt can. There are exceptions where the parents are rarely around for their child. But these are exceptions. In normal circumstances, no one else can take the place of a child's parents. Come rain or sunshine, the child looks to his parents and clings to them. The affection is strong.
One evening in June 2002, I lay in bed with my wife and five-month-old baby. But our two-year-old boy, Chidubem (we call him Dubem), would not allow us to sleep because of his noise. At some point, I scolded him and threatened to take him to his cousins in another room. For a while, he kept quiet, but he soon continued his noise making, calling, "Mummy, Mummy!" When I could bear it no longer, I jumped out of bed and hurriedly took him to his cousins in their room. He started crying, but I wouldn't listen to him. As I made for the door, he cried even more, wanting to still be with me. Though he was crying because of my reaction, he did not want to leave me. He still cleaved to me. All efforts by his cousins to pacify him failed, and he yelled louder. It took my going back to get him to pacify him. I took him back into our bedroom and gently asked him to stop disturbing us. He obeyed.
God expects that even when he does what "hurts" us, we should still, like Dubem, cling to him. When we cry under the painful strokes of his rod of correction, we should still stick to God. That is being like a little child. Many of us would dump God at the slightest pain. Many have turned their back on God because He tried to correct them with His rod.
I recall an excruciating experience I once had. After obtaining a degree in economics and an MBA in banking and finance from one of the best universities in Nigeria, I felt well positioned for a good banking job. But after serious effort, none came. In my frustration, I decided to leave the country for United States to join my brothers. Again, all my efforts proved abortive. After four years of joblessness, I obtained a visa to travel to Trinidad and Tobago. I heaved a sigh of relief that something had, after all, worked out for me. When I got to the country, I was turned back for no clear reason except that of the battered Nigerian image. Every Nigerian was suspected to be a fraudster. To think that God was watching and yet allowed that I be sent back after my ordeal and after I had come so far was devastating. I felt shattered. I felt God was wicked, and I wanted to tell Him so to His face, but I held myself. I, nevertheless, decided to part company with God. But, to my greatest surprise, I discovered I couldn't. I discovered that we had become so close that I couldn't do without Him. On my way to my base, Enugu, from that trip, I heard a song of praise being played in a record studio, and I caught my heart singing and praising the same God I was angry with. Before I knew it, I had bought that cassette. It was then that I realized how much I had come to love my heavenly Father.
Even so, when I got to Enugu, I was still disturbed by what happened to me. One day, as I pondered over it, God illustrated His action to me in a vision:
A little child sat by a flame of fire. He was quickly attracted by the brightness and beauty of the flame. He tried to go and pick it up but was stopped by his father. The child wept. At a time, the child's father appeared distracted, and the child crawled unnoticed toward the fire, his face beaming with excitement. On reaching the flame, he raised his hand to catch it, but suddenly, his father took him away. The child wept bitterly, kicking his legs and hands in protest, concluding that his father had deprived him of an opportunity to catch "gold"—not knowing that rather he had been saved from danger. God explained: "This has been my experience with my children. They easily get attracted by brightness, not knowing that all that glitters is not gold. When I save them from such dangers, they cry and become bitter with me."
Immediately, I understood that danger awaited me in Trinidad and Tobago. What danger it was, I did not know, but I didn't need to experience it to believe it. I became consoled and trusted God. In fact, I thanked God that I was refused entry into the country.
In 2 Samuel 12, after David committed adultery and murder, God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him with his sins. David owned up to his sins and confessed: "I have sinned against the Lord" (verse 13). God forgave him but told him that the child to be born to him by Bathsheba through that sinful act would die. When the child became ill, David begged God to spare the child. For seven days he went without food and lay all night on bare floor, entreating God's mercy. Yet, on the seventh day, the child died.
That God insisted on the child dying in spite of David's deep entreaties was enough to put off many men. Even David's servants feared what his reactions could be. But when David realized that the child was dead, contrary to their fears, he got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the tabernacle and worshipped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and ate food. At this, his servants were amazed.
David demonstrated his love for God in that he acknowledged the sovereignty of God and surrendered to His will despite his own desire to have the child live. He "worshipped the Lord." I believe his attitude thrilled God so much that He decided to give him an heir to his throne through that same woman, Bathsheba who was now his wife, as evidence of His forgiveness. God gave him Solomon to replace the child. God, our Father, is thrilled when His children stick to Him against all odds. At the end, He blesses them.
Job was another man who demonstrated such tenacity and love for God. In Job 1:13–19, the Scripture narrates how, in a single day, Job lost all he had: oxen, sheep, camels, and children. Rather than curse God following the devastations he suffered, he fell down and worshipped God declaring, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21). Job demonstrated his unflinching, unconditional love for God. That is the kind of love God wants us to have for Him.
The same kind of love was demonstrated by the three Hebrew children, Shedrack, Meshack, and Abednego, in Babylon, when they said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." (Dan. 3:16–18, NKJV).
Many people have faced similar situations. Some have literally abandoned God in such circumstances. Pity!
Furthermore, children are most pacified by their very parent, father or mother, who "hurt" them. As they cry, they will be waiting for him or her to soothe them. Others may succeed in calming children who are so offended, but they are most soothed by the parent who offended them. Each time I scolded Dubem, he cried and expected me to cuddle him up and soothe him. Though his mother tried to calm him, he kept his gaze on me, expecting me to call him. He stopped crying as soon as I drew him closer to soothe him.
On the contrary, many of us seek solace elsewhere when we feel "hurt" by God. Such solace does not satisfy, for then we will be missing the comfort and warmth of our Father's arms. Some have resorted to consulting witch doctors and spiritualists when they face situations they don't understand. Others have given themselves over to drugs or alcohol in such situations. What a pity!
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Like a Little Child by Gregory Chigozie Nnaji Copyright © 2011 by Gregory Chigozie Nnaji. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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