As a child I recall spending my days climbing trees, hopping fences, and rolling down hillsides of daisies at full speed ahead on a hot wheel with a flimsy tire. If we stop for a moment, closing our eyes tightly, we can all look back to a time when we had no worries and no cares. Were we only oblivious to the world around us because of our innocence, or as children, were we just more tuned in to God?
As we grow older and have children of our own, often worries we never knew can come rushing to greet us. And it’s easy to let these worries overtake us and make us feel defeated. Looking back at childhood in search for the antidote to cure all the fears that make you lose your way, one may realize it isn't age that holds you away from worries. It’s the faith you had as a child – knowing that God would always be right beside you. No matter where you went and what you did, as a child you knew God was there and that gave you the strength to go through uncharted territories. Days of worry will continue to exist and try to overtake you, but refuse to be defeated! God is your fortress and you can walk anywhere, knowing wherever God is, there is safety from falling. God is calling us to a greater lifestyle of childlike faith. He is calling us to place our trust in Him alone.


Questions for further thought:
1. What area of your life is not producing the fruit of His goodness, reality, and love for you?

2. Where are you under the stress of living in your own strength?


Challenge: So, the next time you feel yourself caught up in the fear of the world, close your eyes tightly for a moment. Envision that child who walked without looking over his/her shoulder; the person you were before the world took its toll on your spirit. Rest assured that if you stumble, God will never let you fall. Confess your need of God's help and ask Him to help you live with increased faith.

In Jesus’ day, receiving a blessing by a rabbi was a big deal. It was customary for rabbis to impart a blessing, a barakah, on children—and that sometimes included a prophetic message about the child’s future. No wonder these parents flocked to Jesus. Receiving his blessing would be a great gift—and he might even speak of the child’s future. Would he reveal who might become a rabbi? Or a leader of the people? Or who would enjoy the blessing of long life? The disciples saw these parents crowding around Jesus, and they weren’t too happy. After all, Jesus was way too busy to take time for children! But Jesus didn’t want his kingdom fenced in like a private club. As the disciples tried to block the parents and children from him, Jesus called the children toward him with open arms. The Master wanted them near, and he gave them the greatest blessing of all, saying, “The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” The disciples needed to learn that, rather than being self-imposed gatekeepers of the kingdom, they were to invite people freely, recognizing that all who come to the Lord with the trusting dependency of a child may receive God’s abundant blessings. We must come to Jesus in childlike faith and we must help our children do the same. Jesus considered children important enough to give them His time and individual blessing. He wants us to learn from children what it means to believe in Him. He wants us to lead children to faith in Him.


Questions for further thought:
1. Have you ever felt that the Lord might not welcome you? How can this passage be of help to you?

2. How can a person with intellectual questions develop childlike faith in Christ? Should he put his brain in neutral?


Challenge: I pray that if you have never done so, you will come in simple faith to Jesus as your Savior. I pray that many of you will commit yourselves to the important task of leading children to Christ. You will be doing a work that our Savior Himself counted important. 

A child's faith is simple. A child doesn't try to figure everything out and make a detailed blueprint of exactly how he will get what he needs. He simply believes because his parents said they would take care of him. 
Thankfully the same can be true for us. As believers, our joy and peace are not based in doing and achieving – trying to figure everything out and fix it ourselves. They come with believing. Joy and peace come as a result of building our relationship with The Lord. We experience peace in the Lord's presence, receiving from Him and acting in response to His direction. Joy and peace come from knowing and believing – trusting in the Lord with a simple, childlike faith.

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Questions for further thought:
1. Can you think of a time when you were weary and burdened down?

2. What does Jesus promise those who come to Him?


Challenge: Be thankful that your joy and peace are not based on your abilities. Look to the Father for everything that you need. Go to Him with a childlike faith, trusting that He will take care of any problem in your life.  

Christians tend to get caught up in theological squabbles and when it gets intense, usually someone will chime in at some point with a reminder that the bottom line is to have childlike faith. Sometimes though I think we forget what children are actually like when we use this phrase to describe desired attitudes or attributes. As someone who has been around children for some time now, here are thoughts on relating this verse/phrase to the truth about how (most) children behave.
Children require relationship. We need to always be on a journey in our relationship with God through Christ. We must always be building and working on that relationship. Children also never stop asking questions. We too must never lose our drive to ask questions and mature in our faith.


Questions for further thought:
1. How does the metaphor of God as "father" and us as "children" help us learn how to think of Him and interact with each other?

2. What does accepting the kingdom of God "like a little child" look like to you? 


Challenge: Ask God to give you childlike faith and the revelation, rest, authority, and freedom that come from having Jesus Christ as your Lord. 
 

It just happens along the way. When it comes to faith, adults learn how to doubt. We're skeptical. We're jaded. We're not sure God hears our prayers. He might have more important things to do than answer us. We complicate faith. 
But what about kids and faith? Children are amazing!  Without difficulty, they believe God is sovereign. They believe that God is all-powerful, all knowing, and that He's everywhere. They believe God hears their prayers and will answer them. They have no doubts. In the adult world, life is complex and we strive to become mature in our thinking, our attitudes, our relationships and our behaviors. But in the arena of faith, Jesus points to children as the model for mature faith. Children believe. Children trust. Today, if you find yourself struggling with doubts, skepticism, and cynicism about God's place in your life, it's time for a change. It's time to recapture the childlike wonder of faith and trust.


Questions for further thought:
1. What do you feel are the biggest obstacles that prevent you from responding to God in childlike faith? 

2. What changes in attitudes or actions must you take to remove these obstacles?


Challenge: Think of something going on in your life that needs prayer and start a prayer marathon. Pray every day for that one thing. Have that childlike faith that God can and will do the impossible. 
 

To maintain his strong faith during 40 years of wandering surrounded by faithless grumblers, Joshua must have been good at seeing God’s daily blessings. That’s the daily challenge for us, too—search for the blessings and avoid the naysayers. Today’s combative political environment and the constant barrage of social media makes that difficult. But God’s blessings are still there to be found. It’s worth the effort.


Questions for further thought:
1. As a general rule, do you tend to more easily see the negative or the positive?

2. Can you think of a time when an event you first saw as negative ultimately turned out to be positive? 


Challenge: Do two things this coming week. First, watch carefully for God’s blessings. They may come in the form of things we take for granted. Write these down. Second, think back over the past year. Were there any events or circumstances which seemed negative at the time that ultimately turned out to be a positive? Write these down too. Make these practices habits.

As the Israelites end their wilderness wandering and prepare to enter the promised land, Moses asks them to renew their covenant with God. As a part of that process, he reminds them of all that God has done for them during the past 40 years. The God they are once again promising to serve has shown who He is by His actions. Now the Israelites will have a new opportunity to respond to his faithfulness.


Questions for further thought:
1. Do you tend to expect God to come through for you or to let you down when you need Him most? Where does this belief come from?

2. How has God shown his faithfulness to you this past year? This past month? This past week? 


Challenge: The Israelites used to build monuments to help them remember God’s faithful acts. There are ways for us to do the same ranging from the very creative to the extremely simple. If you haven’t already established this practice, consider how you and your family can keep a record of God’s faithfulness you can draw upon when facing future challenges.

This is a classic wedding verse, but it was written to describe the benefits of close relationships in dealing with the challenges of everyday life. In building and maintaining a strong and flexible faith, there is great value in the friendship and guidance of other believers. Whether it’s connecting with a mentor who has walked the road before or surrounding ourselves with those who share our beliefs, spiritual relationships are essential in successfully navigating life’s changes.


Questions for further thought:
1. Do you have strong relationships with other believers right now? 

2. Maintaining close relationships has been challenging during COVID. Are you in good shape in this area, or do you need to find some creative ways to stay connected?


Challenge: Examine your closest relationships. Are they encouraging you to grow in your faith, a neutral influence or leading you in a negative direction? Make an intentional effort to strengthen your most positive relationships.

Having a strong faith doesn’t mean that we sail right through tough times. It means that while we may struggle, we ultimately turn to God to give us encouragement and strength. A strong faith doesn’t snap, but flexes with life’s demands. Moses is rightly seen as a great spiritual leader, one who sought after God. But in this passage, he expresses his frustration and discouragement with the people he is called to lead. God hears his complaint and, rather than rebuking him, gives him what he needs to lead the people through the wilderness. 


Questions for further thought:
1. In your mind, what does a strong faith look like? Which individual in the Bible (Jesus doesn’t count) is the best example of that kind of faith?

2. Assuming you’re not perfect, how do you work through your faith struggles? Do you give yourself some grace and turn to God, or do troubles tend to isolate you from Him for a time?  


Challenge: A strong faith comes when we know and study the scriptures. Do you have a faith verse you cling to, have memorized for those times when you feel yourself faltering? If not, ask God to give you one, share it with someone, and memorize it. 
 

To say that the events of 2020 were unexpected would be an understatement. But while we did not anticipate a pandemic, God was not surprised. He writes the stories of our lives. The Bible is full of people whose lives were radically altered as they learned to follow God’s plan. Pastor Doug shared about Mary and Joseph in his Christmas series, but the list also includes Moses, Job, Jonah, Paul and others. We can draw strength from their faith journeys as we continue our own. 


Questions for further thought:
1. How did the events of 2020 impact your faith? 

2. To put a slight spin on that, how did your faith affect how you handled this past year?  


Challenge: As you consider this past year, write down how your faith was made stronger in 2020. At the same time, write down some of the faith struggles you had in the past 12 months. How can you continue your progress and what steps can you take to address your spiritual challenges?