Our paragraph topic is:
(Avoiding scandal) Part 1.
Christ continues to teach his disciples about spiritual principles. Humility, he tells them, is the key to entering into the kingdom of heaven. For it is through the humbling of the spirit and the denial of self serving pride that one enters into the kingdom of heaven. It is through the knowledge and the practice of humility that one is able to drive out the spirit of pride. For it is through pride that the door is open for Satan to enter in and influence the physical. This is the knowledge that Christ wants his disciples to have, the knowledge that he wanted his disciples to practice so they would have a defense against the tricks and traps of evil.
Christ goes on to show his disciples the simplicity of a little child. For children are under the care of their parents who will watch over them and care for them. And the disciples are under the care and protection of Christ. So he tells them that to receive a little child is to receive him, to know as a child is to know him, to be as a little child is to be as he is. He tells his disciples: "And whoever receives one such little child for my sake, receives me."
Receive the little children of the world and you receive Christ. Receive the innocent of the world and you receive Christ. Keep them safe. Protect them. Watch over them and he will watch over you. Christ gives his disciples a very important spiritual principle to live by. This same principle is available for us today. Protect the little ones. Guide the little ones. Love the little ones and you will love him. For it is through the heart that one receives the little ones. It is through the love that one receives them and it is through the spirit that one opens up to the spirit in them.
We are all parents at some point and we know the love and care that we give to our children. We have a responsibility to them when we bring them into the world. And for mothers there is a bond that comes with the birth of children. For a father there is a dome of protection and provision that he provides and with that provision comes a love from the heart. God has given us the privilege of sharing in the creation of life. We provide the physical and he provides the spiritual life that comes through our children. But there is something more than that. The bond is deeper than just physical. We respond to the physical touch, smell, taste and feel of our children. The sight of them brings joy. The knowledge of them fills our waking thoughts and actions. They are our hope and our beliefs and our love for the future.
But all that is just the physical and not the spiritual. For Christ is one with the father and we are one in him, if we choose. Our children should be one with us spiritually. For they are the true spirit of life and love that comes from God. They know not, they are not, and they experience not except what we give them. And if we give them not of our spirit then they will be not.
For how can we give of what we do not know? How can we experience the truth of the joining if we have not joined? How can we see their light if we have no light in us? It is through our own light that we can truly know the light of Christ within us. We are physical beings but even more we are beings created in the image and likeness of our God. He gave us life. He created us. He provides for us. He protects us. And it was through the sacrifice of Christ that we are given the light of life renewed.
Receive the little ones into your heart. Receive the little ones into your spirit. Receive the little ones into your light for they are new in the physical world and fresh from the tree of life. Their spirit is strong and their light is new. It is through them that we can truly see the light of the life of Christ. Come! Know the life that is within you. See the truth of who you are in Christ. For with the truth you will know who you are. With the truth you will see the light within you. With the truth you will have no fears, no doubts, no anxieties, no hatred, no anger, no lust. For yours is the kingdom of heaven and your father loves you. Open the door! Follow the path! Read the truth before you and receive the Holy Spirit of Christ who loves you.
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
Christ continues to teach his disciples about spiritual principles. Humility, he tells them, is the key to entering into the kingdom of heaven. For it is through the humbling of the spirit and the denial of self serving pride that one enters into the kingdom of heaven. It is through the knowledge and the practice of humility that one is able to drive out the spirit of pride. For it is through pride that the door is open for Satan to enter in and influence the physical. This is the knowledge that Christ wants his disciples to have, the knowledge that he wanted his disciples to practice so they would have a defense against the tricks and traps of evil.
Christ goes on to show his disciples the simplicity of a little child. For children are under the care of their parents who will watch over them and care for them. And the disciples are under the care and protection of Christ. So he tells them that to receive a little child is to receive him, to know as a child is to know him, to be as a little child is to be as he is. He tells his disciples: "And whoever receives one such little child for my sake, receives me."
Receive the little children of the world and you receive Christ. Receive the innocent of the world and you receive Christ. Keep them safe. Protect them. Watch over them and he will watch over you. Christ gives his disciples a very important spiritual principle to live by. This same principle is available for us today. Protect the little ones. Guide the little ones. Love the little ones and you will love him. For it is through the heart that one receives the little ones. It is through the love that one receives them and it is through the spirit that one opens up to the spirit in them.
We are all parents at some point and we know the love and care that we give to our children. We have a responsibility to them when we bring them into the world. And for mothers there is a bond that comes with the birth of children. For a father there is a dome of protection and provision that he provides and with that provision comes a love from the heart. God has given us the privilege of sharing in the creation of life. We provide the physical and he provides the spiritual life that comes through our children. But there is something more than that. The bond is deeper than just physical. We respond to the physical touch, smell, taste and feel of our children. The sight of them brings joy. The knowledge of them fills our waking thoughts and actions. They are our hope and our beliefs and our love for the future.
But all that is just the physical and not the spiritual. For Christ is one with the father and we are one in him, if we choose. Our children should be one with us spiritually. For they are the true spirit of life and love that comes from God. They know not, they are not, and they experience not except what we give them. And if we give them not of our spirit then they will be not.
For how can we give of what we do not know? How can we experience the truth of the joining if we have not joined? How can we see their light if we have no light in us? It is through our own light that we can truly know the light of Christ within us. We are physical beings but even more we are beings created in the image and likeness of our God. He gave us life. He created us. He provides for us. He protects us. And it was through the sacrifice of Christ that we are given the light of life renewed.
Receive the little ones into your heart. Receive the little ones into your spirit. Receive the little ones into your light for they are new in the physical world and fresh from the tree of life. Their spirit is strong and their light is new. It is through them that we can truly see the light of the life of Christ. Come! Know the life that is within you. See the truth of who you are in Christ. For with the truth you will know who you are. With the truth you will see the light within you. With the truth you will have no fears, no doubts, no anxieties, no hatred, no anger, no lust. For yours is the kingdom of heaven and your father loves you. Open the door! Follow the path! Read the truth before you and receive the Holy Spirit of Christ who loves you.
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
