Learning From A Third Grader About God

Greatness is not what we think it is, and Jesus makes that crystal clear. When the disciples ask who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, He doesn’t reward ambition. He pulls a child close and says the doorway into God’s kingdom looks like humility, a teachable spirit, and the kind of wide-eyed wonder most of us misplace as we grow up. If you’ve been craving a Christian morning devotional that actually resets your mindset, Matthew 18 is the wake-up call.

Then I share one of my favorite illustrations of childlike faith: a third grader named Danny Dutton writing a homework response to two questions, “Who is God and what does he do?” His answers are funny, a little messy, and surprisingly insightful. He talks about God making people, listening to prayers nonstop, and being present when you’re scared in the dark or tossed into the deep end by the big kids. It’s not polished theology, but it’s honest trust, and that’s the point.

We also talk about spiritual growth the kind that deepens your faith without complicating the gospel. Yes, we mature. Yes, we learn. But we never graduate from the simple truth that God loves us so much He gave us Jesus Christ so we can have a relationship with Him, and He is with us today.

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Transcript

Welcome To Starting Right

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Good morning and welcome to Starting Right. I am Danny Mack, and I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back and relax

Greatness Looks Like A Child

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for the next five minutes as I help you start your day by starting right. In Matthew chapter 18, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Who is going to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? It seems that they were sort of hoping that Jesus would pick one of them and say that they were going to be the greatest. But Jesus, as he often did, messed them up with a completely different answer. Jesus called a little one to his side and said to them, Learn this well. Unless you dramatically change your way of thinking and become teachable, and learn about heaven's kingdom realm with the wide-eyed wonder of a child, you will never be able to enter in. Whoever continually humbles himself to become like this gentle child is the greatest one in heaven's kingdom realm. Jesus loved the simple faith of a child.

A Third Grader Explains God

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Danny Dutton was a third grade student at a Christian school in Southern California. He was given a homework assignment to answer these two questions. Who is God and what does he do? I think you'll enjoy his answers. Danny began his answer this way. One of God's main jobs is making people. He doesn't make grown-ups just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up all his valuable time teaching them to talk and to walk. He can just leave that to the mothers and fathers. God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off. God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere, which keeps him pretty busy, so you shouldn't be wasting his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something that they said you couldn't have. Jesus is God's son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and he should forgive them. And God said okay. His dad appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth, so he told Jesus he didn't have to go out on the road anymore, he could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of, and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God, like a secretary, only more important. You can pray any time you want, and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out, so one of them is on duty all the time. Now you should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun, like going to the beach. This is wrong. Besides, the sun doesn't even come out at the beach until noon anyway. If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely. Because your parents can't go everywhere with you like to camp. But God can. It's good to know he's around when you're scared in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into the deep water by the big kids. But you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases. That's why I believe in God. Isn't it amazing?

Keep The Gospel Simple

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Now, this boy's theology is not what anybody would call great, but the simplistic belief in who God is and what God does and what Christ has done for us remain the foundation of our walk with Him. And remember the instruction of Jesus back in Matthew eighteen that we are to be teachable, that we are to learn about heaven's kingdom realm with the wide eyed wonder of a child. Now we all need to mature and grow in our walk with God, but as we learn and grow and mature in Christ, we can never lose the beauty and simplicity of the gospel. The fact that God loved us so much that he gave us Jesus Christ, his only son, so that we could have a relationship with him, that God loves us, that he's with us, and that he's for us. And this is where Danny's view of God was so beautiful. He didn't understand all the pieces, and it was okay. He just knew that God loved him and that he loved God. I hope that God blesses you today and that you can stand in the wonder of who he is and what he's done for you, and you will know that he is with you, even when the big kids push you into the deep end of the pool. Be blessed, my friends. Have a great day. Thank you for listening today. And I invite you to join me Monday to Friday right here on Starting Right with Danny Mack.