“The Kingdom of Heaven Is for Those Who Are Like Small Children”

“The Kingdom of Heaven Is for Those Who Are Like Small Children”

“And I will be small in my own eyes . . . .” 2 Sam. 6:22. “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever makes himself small . . . .” Matt. 18:1-4.

Imagine that it is possible to become little in your own eyes! Imagine that it is possible to actually do that! Not just saying that you are small, but actually making yourself small!

What astonishing, deadly serious words! What a radical, definitive judgment of all ordinary religiosity, especially of the leadership! What a crushing judgment of all imagined greatness, all megalomania, pride, conceit, the desire to dominate, and self-exaltation! What a shocking contradiction to being a little child!

In reality, everyone is small, pitifully small! Those who imagine they are especially great are the least and most pathetic people in God’s eyes.

Making yourself small means acknowledging from the heart that you are small, in spirit and in truth, and conducting yourself in accordance with that acknowledgment. Among other things, this means simply believing God’s Word like a little child without objections and doubting, and without being occupied with judging it according to your human reasoning—something that small children do not possess.

When it concerns God’s Word, salvation, and transformation, our human reasoning is completely useless. The only thing that matters here is a living faith in the Word, by which we enter into God’s kingdom and by which God’s kingdom enters into us during our time of sojourn on this earth.

Precisely because we have already partaken of the divine life and are like small children, all the usual and visible things disappear, such as being judgmental, desiring honor, being argumentative, wanting to dominate; megalomania, anger, wrath, jealousy, envy, divisions, etc.

This is also quite natural: The smaller you are in your own eyes, the less you need of all kinds of things! The more of a megalomaniac you are, the more you imagine you need to possess (so to speak) all kinds of things!

This is in full agreement with Jesus’ words about humbling yourself and about exalting yourself. Humbling yourself is quite simply acknowledging that you are too exalted and therefore moving down the ladder because of your love of the truth, as is only fitting in the name of all truth and righteousness.

A person exalts himself by having even more exalted thoughts of himself than he had previously. The fact that a person has exalted thoughts about himself is the most revolting thing God knows, something that displeases Him the most! This is precisely why the entrance to God’s kingdom is firmly closed to such people, regardless of what state they otherwise in! Alas! Alas!

You are definitely not a little child if you do not believe like a little child. So here it is a matter, as always, of a great either / or! As in: either you have forsaken all of your own, or you have not done it at all!