“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” – Matthew 18:3-6 KJV

What a tragedy it was that the very same people who were supposed to lead God’s children to Christ were the most bent on trying to silence Him. Of course, I am referring to the scribes and pharisees, that is, the religious leaders of Jesus time. They thought that they were doing the work of God, but failed miserably! Indeed, leadership comes with many responsibilities, but there’s a responsibility to leadership that is often overlooked, that is, the responsibility to listen. In other words, those who have been called to lead should not think so highly of themselves as to assume that they’ve ceased to be followers, or students if you will. People are called by God to lead not because they’ve arrived, but because they know Jesus Christ. If a person is so prideful that they would refuse to acknowledge that God can use a simple child to teach them something about character, then they really don’t know Jesus, who essentially said that we should be humble in spirit, as little children.

Unfortunately, it appears that more people are interested in drawing attention to themselves than they are in directing people to Jesus Christ. And so it was during the time when Jesus walked this earth as a man. Listen, we aren’t called by God to be popular. Life as a believer isn’t about being better than someone else, but obedient to God. And in drawing near to Jesus Christ we soon discover that we have nothing of self to brag about. For without Him we are nothing; and He must therefore mean everything to us if we are to serve Him aright. Of course, the call to humility isn’t just for leaders; it goes out to all of God’s children. Therefore, don’t assume that God looks the other way when pride is present in the heart. While it is true that God is love (1Jn. 4:8), there are certain things which He hates. And pride is at the top of the list!

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” – Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV

Do any of these things apply to your behavior? If so, I urge you to repent, and ask God to come into your heart and help you to change your ways. Right now there are a lot of people who think that they are on their way to heaven, but they are actually headed for the lake of fire. And here’s something that we ought to pay close attention to: Jesus gave a strong warning about not causing  His children to fall into sin. It is critical to take heed to this point, because babes in Christ are like little children who look up to adults whom they admire and respect; if we are setting a bad example of what it means to serve God, then we may ultimately influence them to do the same. This could result in them completely turning away from God at some point in their lives. That is a position that I never want to be in!

Indeed, these are serious times that we’re living in. And we need to take Jesus’ warnings seriously. No excuse is good enough to justify being sinful. And if we are trying to make excuses to justify sin, then we really aren’t listening to God, which means we are allowing pride to keep us from carrying out His good will. Therefore, let’s not be prideful, but obedient to God instead. Don’t let pride keep you from doing what you know you ought to do right now. For example: if you are holding onto a grudge against someone, then seek to make things right with that person. We must not let hatred grow within our hearts. Instead, we need to humble ourselves before God, following Jesus in every way; for unless we become as little children we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven!