Here is the revelation that is shaping my life today- Jesus uses a double negative, “you will never ever enter the Kingdom,” to get our attention. This is important, you enter into God’s love, her Kingdom, by being open to love like a child. No other way.
Mark 10:15 TPT
[15] Listen to the truth I speak: Whoever does not open their arms to receive God’s kingdom like a teachable child will never enter it.”
Observation
To many modern intelligent people, this is insulting. The Kingdom of God is always insulting to the wise, for it does not salute or congratulate, reward or promote, their intelligence. For the Kingdom is not accessed through wisdom, it is “entered” with the posture of a teachable child. Salvation is not a rescue into a dogmatic belief structure, salvation is a rescue into a vibrant, mysterious, supernatural intimate love relationship with the King. It requires an openness to love that children bring, a receptiveness to the uncaused, unconditional love that does not look to the voices of disqualification, or unworthiness, but is drawn to the beauty of the lover and her offer of love, and not personal ugliness. It is to open my arms and receive not wrestle with intellectual arguments and philosophies.
It’s not that there is no place for thinking, it’s just that the intellectual wrestle must take place in the presence of love, not as a wrestle to be loved. I enter the kingdom with open arms of a teachable child and from that secure place I wrestle with my beliefs and my unbeliefs. I have my mind renewed in the presence of love. It’s not that my objections, my questions, and my hurts, are ignored, it’s from where I wrestle them. The wrestle only takes place from within the embrace of love. If not it is like a sports commentator having an opinion from the sidelines. You only really get the game from being in the game. Childlike embrace is how we enter into the magnificence of spiritual aliveness.
Application
I will live with a posture of “open arms” to the love and embrace of God. I will bring my wrestles into her embrace but I will be a child in my acceptance of his embrace.
Response
I thank you that love is not for the wise and those who can intellectually discern its comings and goings and reasonings. I thank you that it’s childlike open arms embrace that enables me to live in, and from, your embrace. There is no way to be loved by you other than to receive your love unconditionally and without reason or cause, so like I child I throw my arms open to you. I love this life.
Meditation
Meditate – I open my arms to your love.
Consider:
Have you got your childlike teachability on when it comes to receiving His love?
How much do your intellectual musing and objections keep you from the intimacy of love’s embrace?
JOURNEY DEEPER