Matthew 18

I can still picture my husband walking with a fishing pole in his hand and my son, who was about four, following him also carrying a fishing pole. On the path they were on they came to a creek they had to cross. My husband gave instructions to my son and without whining or questioning he did just what his dad asked him to do. It was at that moment I realized my son had complete faith in his father.

This is the kind of childlike faith God is asking of us. As we grow older we can become so hardened by human circumstances that we forget our Father knows best. Even if the world around us is screaming, "You can't do that!" or  "That won't work!" or "That doesn't make sense!" -  if God has asked us to do it, we need to follow His direction and leading.

If Nehemiah had listened to, "You can't do that!" - he never would have gone to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

If Moses had listened to, "That won't work!" - he never would have led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.

If Noah had listened to, "That doesn't make sense!" - he never would have built an ark to save his family from the flood.

As chapter 18 continues, we see some areas which God has asked us to have faith in Him:

* We need to reflect Him as we deal with younger people. We definitely don't want our lives to cause a child to stumble.

* We need to lovingly confront one another when we see that sin is evident in each other's lives. 

* We need to forgive people, because we have been forgiven so much by Jesus!

Following through on what God has asked us to do isn't always easy and it doesn't always make sense to people around us, but the blessings it brings to us and the people we've interacted with is of eternal value.

At the beginning of this chapter, the disciples asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus' teachings are so radically different from what the world says greatness is. The humble! Those who seek God's praise above human praise and follow Him no matter the cost!

Matthew 18