Maybe it's time to put off childish things.
1Cor.13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me
Some wish to return to being carefree like a child.. Most of us do.. But, to do so, retreat into childish thinking. Regression.
Not knowing, that if they are willing for a season to suffer for righteousness sake, that God will "re-install" in us a childlike joy... but no longer with stubbornness and ignorance we could manifest as children.
In other words? To become childlike? We must first be willing to become an adult in our thinking. Standing alone in ourselves and God's Word before The Lord Jesus Christ concerning His Word.
Its the Lord who controls our inner state of being. Jesus promised for those who do His will and mature, they will find themselves entering into a joyous childlike inner happiness. But.. No longer thinking like a child.
Some here insist in retreating into being childish when they do not like being shown what they need to grow up in their understanding. They keep wanting to lock themselves in Sunday school thinking and emoting for children.
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 are converted 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." Mat 18:1-5
Jesus was saying.. If you want to know who is going to be the greatest in His kingdom?
It will be quietly known only by the one God transforms inwardly. Childlike - not childish inner state of mind. Adult and mature in thinking.
Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil
be infants, but in your thinking be adults." 1 Cor 14:20
I once overheard a pastor saying.... "We enter not into being a genius, but into the lifestyle of genius."
The following is stated from the secular genius point of view. It is true. We see it all the time in the arts and innovators.
“Genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recaptured at will.” Charles Baudelaire,
That pastor noted.. "We enter the lifestyle of genius, not become a genius."
So... if one wants to know who is going to be one of the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? They will know from what emanates (by God's grace) from within them being made evident by finding wisdom and knowledge and STABILITY in objective thinking.
Well?... Those who want to regress back by being childish? Demanding that time stand still and remain as it was when they were a child? They will not get a word I said. Yet, they can have God instill in them His tranquility and peace that is "childlike" but never childish.
What they need to get there is sound doctrine. Paul knew and accepted sadly that many would find sound doctrine distasteful and offensive in the face of their prejudice and bias.
For the time will come when they will not put up with/will not
endure sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they
will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what
their itching ears want to hear." 2 Tim 4:3
That is the recipe for so much variety we find today in today's denominationalism. Each denomination attracts those wanting to hear what they have concocted to please their emotions beyond the fundamental doctrines.
So be it....