Series: Childlike Heart
Message: Childlike Heart
Preacher: Jessyka Albert
Daily Walk: Jessyka Albert

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 119:17-24.

Read: Matthew 18:1-6 (ESV). As you re-read the text for the final time this week in the English Standard Version, what new insights did you discover about God’s character?

Reflect: Tomorrow at Boulder Church, we will be dedicating and praying over our high school seniors. They have one year before they enter a world where doors are swinging open and slamming shut all around them. It’s exciting and terrifying all at the same time!

Tomorrow we acknowledge how they have grown physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. My prayer and hope for them is that they continue to grow strong and healthy, that they continue to learn and challenge their minds, that they continue to nurture compassion and love, and that they continue to grow in their love and understanding of who Jesus is. 

My prayer and hope for them, and for each of us, is to continue to grow and learn, but to always remember our inner kid:
To be motivated by safety. To run to a God who is our refuge.
To be motivated by fun. To enjoy time with Jesus laughing, dreaming, and playing. 
To be motivated by acceptance. To find our identity in one who loves us wholeheartedly and extend that same love to others.
To be motivated by freedom. To claim the freedom Jesus has given us and to live our lives out with confidence and joy knowing we are free indeed. 

My prayer is that our hearts always stay childlike. 

No matter how healthy and strong we are physically, we still need Jesus to be our strength.

No matter how much “fun” we try to have, we still need a Jesus who invented fun.

No matter how much we try to feel accepted and to accept, we still need a Jesus who accepts us and others fully.

No matter how much freedom we gain, we still need a Jesus who gives us ultimate freedom.

Jesus reminds us that no matter how old we get or how much we learn, the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is a dependent, giggling, questioning, dreaming child. 

Recalibrate: ​​​What phase do you struggle with most? Why?

Respond: Pray for humble eyes to really see and learn from the kids around you.

Research: Fill out a Connect Card in person or online. Tell us how we can pray for you or point out any questions we can help you answer.