Matthew 18:1-9

Good Morning Everyone,
Are you seeking Him, even if for a few minutes today? Is He first in your priorities? When Tucker and I walked this morning, it started to rain. Because of the wind I didn't take my umbrella with me, so I was starting to get wet. I prayed that the Lord would stop the rain until our walk was over, and He did! Isn't He wonderful?
When we were at the prison Sat. night the head guard, Jim, told us a story that makes a great word picture for the scripture today. Jim is a believer, but his faith and trust in God has been fairly weak.
About a year ago his grandson was playing in the back yard and he'd been trying to run up the slide that was built onto his jungle gym. He'd been trying for about 20 minutes when he asked Jim how he could get up the slide. He calls Jim: Crappy. "Crappy, how can I run up the slide all the way?"
Jim told him that he needed to pray to God for help and strength. So, bowing his head the grandson prayed: Dear God, help me to have the strength to run up the slide. Thank you Jesus."
Then, he took off running and ran right up the slide!
Jim was flabbergasted! He said that he didn't believe that God would help his grandson up the slide, even though that's what he told the boy. Trust, Jim didn't have it, but his grandson did.
Later, the grandson was sharing with his cousin, a girl one year older how to get up the slide. They bowed their heads and she prayed and she then ran up the slide. We've all heard: out of the mouths of babes; have faith like a little child.
Because of this incident, Jim is stepping out in faith to get Christian films for the guys at the prison. The process is lengthy with lots of opposition, but it's slowly going forward. Please pray that it would happen. Many lives are touched through good films. I also want Jim to see fruit to his growing faith and trust.
Matthew 18:1-9 talks about little children and their faith. Please read it and join me.....This portion is broken into four paragraphs. The first one deals with pride. Wanting to be the greatest in Heaven. The Lord answers that in the second paragraph. We must have trusting, little child faith.
When we come to Christ for our salvation, we need to set aside everything that will keep us from trusting; mostly as adults all the questions that we think we need answered and our lack of trusting people, in general and it spreads over to God.
The third paragraphs is talking about babies in faith. They are saved, but need to be tenderly discipled. I've met a few people through the years that have had their faith in God ruined because of fellow believers who weren't walking with God as they should have. Woe to them, He basically says.
The fourth paragraph is about not letting anything that leads you into sin be allowed to control you. Get rid of the evil. It may be a habit, attitude, whatever. It's all spiritual, the beginning of sin. By the way, God isn't telling you to cut off your arm because you ate ice cream and shouldn't have :)))).
I looked out the window and a black bird was drinking from the bird bath and on the deck there was sitting a female cardinal! Word is getting around about "bath time". Thank you Lord.
So, do you have faith like a little child? If you know someone who needs to come to Christ, do they too need this type of faith? How can you share with them what they need to do? Taking them to this scripture (verses 1-4) might help.

Bathing in His presence,
Sandy,