Daily Devotional For Saturday, December 20, 2025
Note: In each devotional where you see only the reference to a Bible passage without the verse (ex. John 3:16), that is a direct link to that passage online. All you have to do is click on that reference and you will be taken to the verse itself. Thank you.
We are making our way through Matthew’s Gospel and today we are going to limit our devotional to just one verse: Matthew 18:10: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven” (NASB).
In verse 10, “little ones” can refer to both children and brand new disciples. “Despise” was Jesus’ way of pointing out how the religious leaders always despised those they believed were below them. The religious leaders always showed contempt for such people (see Luke 18:9-14). For some, the phrase “angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven” is a reference to guardian angels. This neither confirms or denies such. In the Bible, “seeing God’s face” means you have access to God the Father. These might be what are called “ministering angels” as seen in Hebrews 1:14.
The Old Testament never speaks of guardian angels who God assigns to His people, but it does speak of angels who intercede and help (see Ps. 91:11). Some angels are assigned to watch over nations (see Dan. 10:10-14). The emphasis here is that God’s people are constantly and consistently represented before God the Father. Please don’t forget that this discussion started as a result of Jesus’ disciples asking Him who would be the greatest in His kingdom (see Matt. 18:1-6). Jesus’ disciples want to know who will be the greatest in His kingdom, but Jesus is forcing them to consider if they are in His kingdom at all. I like how New Testament scholar Daniel M. Doriani puts it:
“The disciples assumed they were members of the kingdom and wondered only about the splendor of their rank. Jesus questioned their confidence. He said they needed to start at the beginning. He told them they had to consider how to enter the kingdom, not how to achieve supremacy in it. They were asking about the All-Star team. Jesus said, “Let’s talk about making the team” (Source: Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary, “Matthew 1-28,” Vol. 2, p. 139.
Let’s go back and look at Matthew 18:3-4, “Then He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. (4) So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (NLT). “Turn” is the Greek New Testament word [στρέφω; stepho] and it means “to repent.” It is what we call a verb in the passive voice, which a literal translation would read, “Unless you are changed, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
A call to repentance is how Jesus started His ministry (see Matt. 4:17). This was the call of the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:18. Both the Old and New Testaments call every person to repentance. God has to change our hearts. We have to change IF we wish to be in His kingdom. This is why in Matthew 18:4 there is a call to humility. God can’t change the proud, but He does oppose the proud (see Jam. 4:6). A few verses later in James 4, God calls us to humble ourselves (see Jam. 4:10). In Luke’s Gospel, we see Jesus urging us to humble ourselves (see Luke 14:11).
Salvation from beginning to end is all the work of God the Father. We play no role in it at all. We can not earn it, buy it, bribe God for it, be good enough for it or beg God for it. No amount of rank in the church or money given to the church or ministry to the church will get us entrance into the Kingdom of heaven. We can do nothing to make God love us more nor can we do anything to make God love us less. He sees our sins, our weaknesses, our mistakes, our failures and our rebellion and He still loves us.
The surest proof of salvation and being in the Kingdom of heaven are repentance and humility. Comparing ourselves to others and their sins will gain us nothing. No more than the mother who tells her child, “Your room looks like a tornado went through it.” For the child to say, “Well, it is not as bad as my friend’s room,” gains that child no favor from their parents. As long as we excuse ourselves through comparing, we are not in the Kingdom of heaven. The Gospel of Jesus does not call us to make excuses for our sin; it teaches us to confess them and repent from them and ask God for forgiveness. That is humility.
The truly humble see themselves as they are before God the Father, not in comparison to others. They know what God the Father sees and plead for mercy, grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We are humble like this, God lifts us up. This is the path to eternal life. We do not need to pretend we are better than others. We do not need to comfort ourselves by resorting to condemning others. Jesus’ point is as we humble ourselves before God the Father, we become humble with each other. Jesus wants us to be like children – dependent upon God the Father.
Assignment: Reflect > How humble would God the Father say you are before Him and before others? Do you ever compare yourself to others so that you feel you are better? Do you ever take comfort in condemning others so that you look better? Do you make excuses for your sins rather than owning them? Are there sins you need to confess and repent from now?
Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 3:34, “The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, forgive me for making excuses for my sins. Forgive me for comparing myself to others so I feel I am better. Forgive me for condemning others so that I feel exalted. Lord, I want to be totally dependent on You through humility. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly