Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 KJV.

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. Proverbs 3:5 AMP.

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:4.

In our chapter, Matthew 18, Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, shows us a different perspective for living our life. At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to Him, and placed the child among them. And He said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in My name welcomes Me.” v. 1-5. God’s kingdom is nothing like the kingdoms of this broken world. And God wants us to understand how destructive our sins are to ourselves and others and so He gives an extreme example to show how important not hurting one another is. “If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in Me – to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! v. 6-7. This broken world knows woes because of the suffering that comes from not choosing God’s love. That – that – sounds so outrageous and naive to us shows us how far removed we are from understanding God’s love. So Jesus gives us comparable outrageous examples to illustrate our extreme need for His love…“If your hand or foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away…And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.” v. 8, 9. Extreme? Of course! So is sin which is His point. Especially toward children. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven. What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” v. 10-14. We are His little ones. He goes on to give instruction within the churches if a brother or sister sins; to resolve it in a way that shows God’s love for both parties, v. 15-20. And because we feel sins deeply, how do we forgive? Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” v. 21-22. Forgiveness is a gift God gives us. How can we not forgive others and help to repair the damage done by our sins and theirs? So Jesus gives another extreme example of what the kingdom of heaven is like with one who was forgiven a huge debt he could not possibly pay only to turn around and demand immediate payment or imprisonment from one who owed him much less. How can we expect forgiveness for our many sins against God, a debt we can’t possibly pay, when we hold onto unforgiveness in our own hearts toward others? v. 23-35. Life with God is a choice. And how much better when we live our lives with God helping us! To embrace His love and care is to let go of all the woes this broken world represents. Woes too numerous to mention plague our hearts and our world. Our only hope is God’s love. Does that sound naive and extreme, undoable? Look around at our world today. When you have had enough, turn to Creator God. He knows the way, the only way, that brings healing to our hearts and minds and it is beautiful and good. It begins simply. Ask. Take His hand and walk with Him. A choice always for God’s Good. Read His words inspired by the Holy Spirit so we can begin to see a better way forward. Talk to Him in prayer and then listen as He speaks softly. Trust Him as He leads you to communion with Him and with others who love Him and are also learning how to live life loved with Creator God. We help one another as God helps each of us. Preparation for living loved in the Kingdom of God in this broken world and in eternity with Him and one another. Can you imagine?