Jesus lived as a leaning child.
Stop and notice His reliance on His Father
and! His joy to be there.

        Most assuredly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself,
                but what He sees the Father do, for whatever He does,
                the Son also does in like manner.
            John 5:19

Jesus lived as a Child unto God.
Utterly dependent, ever vulnerable to His will.

We never note that Jesus lived as a Child,
in the barren reality of human weakness.
We note His power, His dominion and see Him as
the ultimate powerful person - on earth -
everything He had and all He was
came from the Father under
whose wings He settled . . . as a child.

He walked and lived as a son,
receiving all things
from His Heavenly Father:
His power, His direction, His very thoughts,
all were derived.

        I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge;
        and My judgment is righteous
        because I do not seek My own will
        but the will of the Father who sent Me.
      John 5:30

He ever gave His identity as the Son of God.
Or the Son of Man.
He was of Another.
He was a son! He needed no personal title for His ego. 

He was His Father's child, He entertained no individuality,
needed no self supporting hallmark of His own making.
He was content to live solely by the
specialness of Another - His dear Father.

Because of this, the willingness to be swallowed into the Father,
as a subordinate child,
He manifested the awesome authority of Very God,
as a representative and not a master. 

The authority of the believer is available only to "the child."

Authority WITH God comes when I take my place
as His dependent child.
I can make claims upon Him based on my position.
I need no merit for my appeal.

        Fear not little flock, it is your Father's
        good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

I enjoy the rights of my birth,
given and secured FOR me, not
earned BY me.

        . . . who were born, not of blood,
        nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
        but of God.
      John 1:13 (emphasis mine)
 
I must live in the vulnerability - even the helplessness -
that is my real state.
That is what puts me into the state of being a child.
Just reality.

Jesus was describing His own way, and giving us
the way to enter the kingdom when He said,

        Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted
                and become as little children,
                you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
            Matthew 18:3

Be what you are . . . for you are a child!
Being a child puts you in the position to receive a Father
and all the rights of His Position.
If you are a child, then you are able to have a Father.

Be an independent, self-sufficient adult and you
have lost the kingdom . . . and your Dear Protective Father.

Position! The universe is all about position!
Power is about position.
Let God have His position, be in yours - as a child - and
power over life is natural.
 
Authority FOR God flows from the surrender to
being His child, deriving everything from Him,
subject to His rule.

Copyright © 1999 Martha Blaney Kilpatrick