Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." – Mathew 19:14

Today's Scripture Reading (January 23, 2024): Matthew 19

I am frequently drawn into a debate about the nature of faith. The problem is that faith is required for the many things we do. We have faith that our friends will tell us the truth about the essential things, that our employer will pay us regularly, and that the various promises made to us will be kept.  All of this requires some sort of faith on our part.  But all of that also has an objective truth.  If my friends lie, I will probably know. If my employer doesn't pay me, my bank account will remind me that I can't survive financially if that failure continues, and if the promises are not kept, something will fail to happen. But, at the same time, my faith in these things will also decrease.

I firmly believe that the church is the only hope this world possesses. We are in a position in this world to take care of the poor; we are there where the dying require medicine, and we are in the places where skills need to be taught. We are already in a position with churches in various parts of the world before disaster strikes.  We can really change the world because we already have people in place to funnel needed resources and help.

And yet, it is not enough.  It is not enough that we are in a position to help; with God, it is a matter of trust and faith.  Without faith, the job looks too big and complicated, regardless of the assets we possess to solve the problem.  A child doesn't think about such things.  A child-like faith does it because it needs to be done.

If you have been reading this blog, I hope you realize that I believe the church is here to transform our world and make a positive difference in our communities. But a positive difference also means it will take us all to act with a child-like faith. I believe that we are here for that purpose.  And we can accomplish that purpose. All we need is a child's faith to walk through the open door and decide that we will make the world a better place simply because we can.

Why not start with your corner of the world today? I pray that you will have the faith needed to make a difference. You will be glad that you did! 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Matthew 20

See Also Mark 10:15