Friday 1 Nov 2013

Friday Reading: Matthew 18:1-6

Key Verse: Matthew 18:6
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Devotion:
If you have had the privilege of working with children or youth then you will know where Jesus was coming from when He spoke these words. In general children do not have a desire to be the one in authority; yes they all like to be “king pin” so that they feel important, but they do not want the weight that comes with having authority. They want to be able to be themselves and to enjoy what they can when they can. They don’t want to have to think about all the dangers and responsibilities that come with what they are about to do; but they do want to feel totally safe doing it.

They need a protector who is willing to stand up and show them that they are in safe hands and that they can go out and enjoy themselves. As they grow older they begin to accept more responsibility – and if they do not then they are not growing up, despite getting older! We must know that we have an authority and that we should obey that authority. Christ is that authority in our lives and we all need to look up to Him as God over all.

If we are going to grow up then we have to start accepting some of the authority that Christ is going to give to us because that comes with growing up. We have to exercise that authority and prove it as well. Christ does not just let us run riot if we say that we follow Him; He will make sure that we do listen to Him in our lives and that we do allow others to see that authority through us.

Christ wants us to be like children in accepting His authority without question. He wants us to learn and know that authority. He also wants us to teach that authority to others whilst they are like children. He wants us to bring others up to respect the authority and to grow in it like we should be. He has not brought us up to take over His position nor to lift ourselves higher than the position He has given us. We need to be careful, even as we mature as Christians, not to overstep the bounds.

Points to Ponder:
Do you recognise authority?

Is Christ your ultimate authority?