7.29.25 ~ Become like little children

Good morning!

In last night's zoom call we started our study in Deuteronomy/Devarim/words/logos, but quickly left the text of Deuteronomy 1:39 to devote our time to  1 John's revelation of little children and their three stages of growth (paidion, teknion, teknon).

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/s1wd9wib7FVonbo_l6NviLiWfv48TxRvXBIW1OypfeNJH4XUIA67Y91AaaA5QzFY.7vSxc85YU_Yctdaw

Moreover your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, and your children, that this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it (Deut. 1:39)

Yeshua said,  Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins (1 Jn. 3:4)  and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt. 18:3)

1 John 5:21 ends his prophetic letter with a strong exhortation

Dear children/teknion, keep away/Phylacate heauta from idols (anything that might take God’s place in your hearts). (1 jn. 5:21)

This topic off becoming 'little children' is a much bigger topic than we could discuss in our zoom call but, I shared it with hopes we'd reconsider our simplistic mindset towards becoming like little children.

John's final exhortation is profound for our 21st century lifestyles. We are a part of a much more dangerous form of idolatry. Yeppers! We can have the fantasy world the way you want it delivered right to your computer  or phone. You are a part of the idolatry of the internet....be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears...

In ancient cultures, idolatry was about pacifying the gods. The gods had the power, so if we wanted good crops or prosperous buildings or healthy children, we had to do whatever the gods demanded in order to achieve our goals. But the Western mindset has replaced the gods with human technology. We have the power. That is the mantra of the West. Our “gods” have become  innovation, control and prediction. And the realm of our gods isn’t heaven. It’s the internet.

And unlike the gods of old, our gods instantaneously deliver the “appearance of reality.” They provide a near-perfect world-altering fantasy life. We can travel where we want, be who we want to be, manipulate what we want, perform as we wish with “others” who are just as unreal. We (speaking of me, myself and I) have a fantasy god at our fingertips to let my dreams come true in spite of my real circumstances. It is heaven on cyber-earth. Neither the real world nor the heaven of YHVH can compete. Oh my, little children!

Guard yourself from idols! (1 Jn. 5:21)

On this 10th day of counting towards the first fruit of the oil, we might want to ask ourselves a childish question:

• Who is drawn to manipulate the world for the fulfillment of personal desires?
• Who leaves behind the confrontation of the real for the pleasures of the dream made real?
• Who uses “tinder” (the app for finding local people willing to engage in immediate and uncommitted fantasy dates) these days?
• Who funds fantasy with debt?
• Who thinks that power resides in terra-bytes?
• Could it be that we are the invisible idolaters, privately serving the gods of fantasy created by our own technological innovation for the same purposes we once saw in gold and silver and stone (i.e. AI).

“Guard yourselves” isn't about an action being done to us, it is an action done by us to us. We need to guard ourselves. No one else, including God, will do it for us. If you don’t guard yourself against idols, no one else will. It’s your choice—and your consequences. You control the delivery system and the fantasies that empower it.

The Kingdom is waiting for the little one (Deut. 1:39; Matt. 18:3; 1 Jn. 2:28; 3:7).

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Lk. 12:32)

Shalom!
Alan