Childlike or childish?
Innocent or full of wisdom?
Which are we called to be?
Hebrews 6:1 reads: Therefore let us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ, the Messiah, advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belongs to spiritual maturity.
Within those verses we see the need to "grow up " in Jesus. That our outward behavior, would reflect the maturity of our belief's in Christ. That doesn't mean I turn into a hard, crusted old Pharisee ready to lop off the heads of all who would cross me. It also doesn't mean that I excuse childish behavior when it comes to the eternal things of God. There is a balance to life that we have been called to.
It is about letting the Holy Spirit work on my character, changing it as the fruit of the Spirit comes forth in my life. It is about me cooperating with God as He works in me. It's about me getting out of the "spiritual" nursery and taking my place among the grown ups.
God has called me to be wise as I walk through this world with all its pits and snares, but at the same time carry around the inquisitiveness of a child, always looking, always asking, always searching.
I am reminded of a particular instance where Jesus crawls the disciples case.
Matthew 19:13-14 - Little children were brought for Jesus to lay His hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. "Don't bother Him," they said. But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me and don't prevent them. For of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus and the kids had their own thing going on. I don't know if it was because they were more prone to believe Him than adults were, or if He simply grew tired of fooling with the grown ups....whatever it was, Jesus enjoyed just being with the kids. You know, I take the words to that song we all learned growing up very seriously.
Jesus loves the little children.....
All the children of the world......
It's the adults that mess everything up.
So you may be thinking that I have drifted away from my original intent of this posting which was about growing up. Well, I haven't. Growing up is a process. It takes time. Don't rush out of your spiritual infancy until it's time. Don't try to be all grown up and wise if you truly haven't matured to that point. You'll wind up looking like you did when you tried to were some of your parents clothes. I have a wonderful photo of myself at age 4 wearing a pair of my Dad's work boots. There I am trying my best to look all big and grown up, those boots coming up to my knees. I couldn't walk in them much less wear them. Sometimes we try to act all religious in an effort to make ourselves look more mature and spiritual than we truly are. We really have no need to do that. We should take each stage of our growth and relationship as it comes.
I know in my own life, I have grown and matured in Christ. At the same time, I'm like a little kid on Christmas morning when God shows out and does something really neat. Maybe it's a person getting healed as we prayed for them. Maybe it was an individual finally coming to be saved and turn the corner on their old lifestyle. Maybe it's an answer to a prayer someone prayed in a desperate moment, and now God has come through. I get all "Golly-gee!" when God does those things. I think that is the part of being a child He never wants me to loose.
As John Wimber use to say, "I want to grow up before I grow old."
My thoughts exactly....
God on you....
mn
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