Become as Little Children    At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 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.  (Matthew 18:1-5)   This teaching is to those who have been saved, but are still in the world and rely on the provision of the world's goods to keep them alive.  One of the hardest lessons to learn and accept is that when God promises to take care of you and I under His wing and protect us, He shall do just that.    Israel, and especially those in Jerusalem of the Old Covenant are the equivalent of those Christians in the churches of today. The lessons that God placed in the Bible are to be used by us to learn from and apply in our Christian walk, and life in this world.  Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago. And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:  (Isaiah 22:9-12)   Instead of the above example everyone should:  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  (Colossians 3:2) and God can do what He promised.    Today is 24 December 1999 and those who have a copy of "Streams in the Desert" can read the complete writings for today. Here's an excerpt:  And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: (Genesis 24:63a) We should be better Christians if we were more alone; we should do more if we attempted less, and spent more time in retirement, and quiet waiting upon God. The world is too much with us; we are afflicted with the idea that we are doing nothing unless we are fussily running to and fro; we do not believe in "the calm retreat, the silent shade." As a people, we are of a very practical turn of mind; "we believe," as someone has said, "in having our irons in the fire, and consider the time not spent between the anvil and the fire as lost, or much the same as lost." Yet no time is more profitably spent than that which is set apart for quiet musing, for talking with God, for looking up to heaven. We cannot have too many of these open spaces in life, hours in which the soul is left accessible to any sweet thought or influence it may please God to send.  "Reverie," it has been said, "is the Sunday of the mind." . ....