Matthew 18:2-4, New Living Translation

“Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.’”

Sometimes I wonder if we make being a Christian harder than it needs to be or perhaps even overthink it. The greatest commandments, Jesus tells us, is to love God and to love people.

I think we can learn a thing or two from children. In observing a child, you see their sweet innocence, their trust and belief that is so steadfast. There is a pure unadulterated love that comes from a child. When you are the recipient of that love, it touches something deep in your heart.

That is the way we should love God and love people. In Matthew 18, Jesus, disciples come to him, asking who the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is. Verse 2–4 (NLT) says, “Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.’”

A child is dependent on an adult to take care of them, to provide for them, to teach them, to love them. In the same way, we as children of God, need to recognize our need, our dependence on God. We have limits, but God is limitless. Just as a child is disciplined, and taught the difference between right and wrong, so does our heavenly father. Proverbs 3:11–12 (NLT) says, My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” 

Coming from my own personal experiences, but I think back on my childhood, I recall all the good times I had. Yes, they were moments of discipline, but that’s not where I dwell. I have more love and respect for my parents because they taught me the difference between right and wrong to be a person of integrity. I believe we should receive this the same from our heavenly Father.

Every day He is teaching us how to be people of integrity, people of love. It is love that covers the multitude of sins the Bible tells us. It is love that has the power to transform. God Himself is love as we learned not that long ago. It is love that is the greatest of these.

Jesus was speaking of the final judgment: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’… The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’’’ (Matthew 25:34–36 and 40, NLT)

How can we love God and love people? Love what God loves and hate what He hates and show compassion. This may look different on any given day and can be as simple as feeding someone who’s hungry, giving a coat to someone who’s cold, or even giving someone a little bit of our time to show them they are loved, they are valued, and they are important. Because this is what God does for us every day.