Little Children Are Believers

Little children are believers.  Their wide-eyed innocence allows them to see and believe things that are so hard for adults to accept.  SPOILER ALERT: If you are a believer in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, the next sentences might ruin your day!  Children will believe that a jolly fat man can deliver billions of presents in one night or that a magical fairy brings them money for their teeth.  Why don’t we believe these things as adults?  It is because as we grow in knowledge and maturity, we just know that such things are impossible.  Do we do the same thing with God?

Little children are believers.  They believe in God.  It isn’t until we reach our teen years and God is no longer “cool” that the first bits of doubt creep into our minds.  Something tragic will happen in our lives and we’ll start to doubt whether or not God exists.  We’ll question and we’ll wonder if any of it is true.  Is there anything wrong with doubting or questioning?  I don’t think that there is, as long as we’re willing to do the hard work of researching the answers for which we’re looking.  It’s one thing to doubt whether or not something is true and another thing entirely to search for the truth.

Little children are believers.  They’ll sit in Sunday School classes and hear stories of men being swallowed by fish and 5,000 people being fed with loaves and fishes and they’ll believe it.  Even if they’ve never seen it, they believe it.  Even though they haven’t seen God, they believe in Him.  Even though they’ve never met Jesus, they believe that He loves them.

And He does.

And He loves you, too.

Even when you question and doubt.

Especially when you question and doubt.

God is merciful to us when we doubt.  He gently and softly whispers, “I AM and I love you.”

Perhaps today is a day to set aside the questions and doubts for a few moments and with simple, childlike faith say, “I believe.”

Luke 18:15-17 (NIV)

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Faith Without Sight

We just finished up our readings in 1 and 2 Thessalonians yesterday.  Today, we are going to begin a look at the books of 1 and 2 Peter.  Peter was one of the first disciples of Jesus.  He and his brother Andrew were called by Jesus to follow Him.  Peter was one of Jesus’ closest friends.  Yet in spite of this close relationship they had, Peter managed to deny knowing Jesus three times on the night before Christ’s crucifixion.  Peter knew great failure as well as great forgiveness.  Jesus reinstated Peter after the Resurrection and Peter went on to preach the Gospel throughout the book of Acts.  He became a great leader in the early church.

Peter wrote this letter to the Christians and churches in various places in what was known as Asia Minor.  We know it today as Turkey.  It was the westernmost part of the continent of Asia.  The recipients of this letter were most likely Christians who heard the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) in Jerusalem and then went back to their homes in Asia Minor.

Here in chapter 1, we see a typical first century greeting as Peter identifies himself as the author and then he identifies his audience.  Then Peter praises God for sending His Son, Jesus.  Through Jesus’ Resurrection we have a new birth into a living hope.  This hope is Heaven.  It is greater than our troubles and trials.  It is greater than pain and persecution.  It is more powerful than kings and rulers.  It is a true hope that we look forward to!

Take a real quick look at verses 8-9 of chapter 1:

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9, NIV)

 This is the very essence of faith in Jesus.  Even though we have never seen Him, we believe and our faith is confirmed by the joy He gives to us.  This joy transcends situations and circumstances.  It comes by the grace of God that has saved us through faith in His Son.  We are saved by that amazing, awesome grace.  One day we will stand before our Savior and see Him face to face.  On that day our faith will be made sight and all the pain, doubt and fear of this life will melt away forever.  May you know this living hope today!