Bible League: Living His Word "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven.We live in a culture that places a lot of importance on holding rational beliefs based strictly on evidence. In his famous 1877 essay "The Ethics of Belief," W.K. Clifford states that "it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." Clifford's essay is directed against all those who place value on faith and religious belief apart from evidence. Our verse for today was Jesus Christ's response to His disciples' question as to who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. His view is that unless one has the faith of a little child, one cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven. And He goes on to say that "whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:4). From Jesus' point of view, when one is confronted with the truth of the gospel and God's word, one should accept it in faith as a little child, without any attempts to determine if there is sufficient evidence to accept it. After all, one should never question God's veracity. How should the Christian who takes Jesus at His word respond to someone like Clifford? Perhaps the first thing that should be said is that Clifford himself does not escape taking a position of faith. His faith, however, is not in God's Word, but in the word of human reason. His belief that only rational beliefs based on evidence should be accepted cannot itself be a rational belief based on evidence. It is a belief born of faith---child-like faith in the ability of human reason to show us the way in the world. Everyone, then, even W.K. Clifford, has child-like faith. It's just a question of what that faith is placed in. Christians do not need to feel like second-class citizens just because they agree with Jesus that one should have child-like faith. A decision must be made. Upon whom will you place your faith? Upon whom will you entrust your present and future well-being? Will you have faith in the word of fallible and limited human beings and their human reasoning? Or will you have faith in the Word of the infallible and unlimited God of heaven and earth? Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading1 Samuel 7, 8, 9 1 Samuel 7 -- Samuel Subdues the Philistines NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Samuel 8 -- Israelites Disregard Samuel's Warning and Demand a King NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Samuel 9 -- Saul Anointed by Samuel NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 13:1-21 Luke 13 -- Call to Repent; Healing on the Sabbath; Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast; Enter by the Narrow Door NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking;the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words. Insight The righteous weigh their answers; the wicked don't wait to speak because they don't care about the effects of their words. It is important to have something to say, but it is equally important to weigh it first. Challenge Do you carefully plan your words, or do you pour out your thoughts without concern for their impact? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.Did earth or heaven ever behold a sadder spectacle of woe! In soul and body, our Lord felt himself to be weak as water poured upon the ground. The placing of the cross in its socket had shaken him with great violence, had strained all the ligaments, pained every nerve, and more or less dislocated all his bones. Burdened with his own weight, the august sufferer felt the strain increasing every moment of those six long hours. His sense of faintness and general weakness were overpowering; while to his own consciousness he became nothing but a mass of misery and swooning sickness. When Daniel saw the great vision, he thus describes his sensations, "There remained no strength in me, for my vigor was turned into corruption, and I retained no strength:" how much more faint must have been our greater Prophet when he saw the dread vision of the wrath of God, and felt it in his own soul! To us, sensations such as our Lord endured would have been insupportable, and kind unconsciousness would have come to our rescue; but in his case, he was wounded, and felt the sword; he drained the cup and tasted every drop. "O King of Grief! (a title strange, yet true To thee of all kings only due) O King of Wounds! how shall I grieve for thee, Who in all grief preventest me!" As we kneel before our now ascended Saviour's throne, let us remember well the way by which he prepared it as a throne of grace for us; let us in spirit drink of his cup, that we may be strengthened for our hour of heaviness whenever it may come. In his natural body every member suffered, and so must it be in the spiritual; but as out of all his griefs and woes his body came forth uninjured to glory and power, even so shall his mystical body come through the furnace with not so much as the smell of fire upon it. Daily Light on the Daily Path Proverbs 10:19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.James 1:19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; Proverbs 16:32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. James 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Matthew 12:37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. 1 Peter 2:21-23 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, • WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; • and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; Hebrews 12:3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Revelation 14:5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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