See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1)
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)
Those who do not know Jesus cannot understand the child-like faith of those who do. Our values are different, as are our desires and our experience of the Lord. We have . . .
. . . put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, (1 Peter 2:1–4)
One lie of Satan is that God is not good, but His people have had a taste and know better. Because of that, we want to know more and that knowledge comes from drinking in truth about Him from His Word, wanting it like a baby wants milk. The only thing that can ruin that desire is sin, sin from yielding to Satan’s lies.
I’ve found as I grow older that becoming child-like means becoming more dependent on my heavenly Father than on myself and my own ideas and abilities. This is a humbling process that involves embracing helplessness and as Paul wrote, being able to “boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” and “for the sake of Christ” being “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.” A child-like Christian learns that “when I am weak, then I am strong” even though the process seems quite the opposite of growing up. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)
As today’s devotional says, Scripture is our food, our source of spiritual growth. In it, we find the encouragement and comfort of God, direction and strength for life, yet also discover what needs to be ‘put to death’ of that old nature with its pride, self=promoting desires, and many of the qualities that the world admires. Spiritual growth turns out to be quite different than what most people would describe as maturity.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6–7)
Not only does God work in me to be more like Him and more like the child who relies completely on his parents in wonderful child-like trust, He also wants me to cooperate with this process, as uncomfortable and even humiliating as it can be. Rooted in Christ means no other source of what I need except what He supplies, and not being anxious or afraid that He will not take care of me. It means being taught by Him, willing to listen and obey and most of all, being willing to read and study the textbook that my Teacher has supplied. It is going back to school to learn fundamentals, to review and review, to be tested and tested. And instead of complaining about all His ‘homework’ and the steepness of the learning curve, He wants me “abounding in thanksgiving.”
That reminds me also that our Thanksgiving Day is coming up and we usually give thanks for all the good things, the comforts of life. However, the Bible says such outlandish things as:
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)
In other words, He wants me to be abounding in thanksgiving for trials and faith-tests as well as the more pleasant parts of His blessings. I’m learning that the only way I can do that is by realizing, from His Word, how He uses all things for my good, to conform me into His image. All things, not just the feel-good stuff. If I stop reading and studying (or never bothered in the first place) I would be ignorant of the way He works and be like many who spend much of their time either trying to “fix” their life or complaining about how it could be better.
PRAY: Jesus, what can I say but thank You for the Bible. It is my milk, my bread, my link to Your heart so that You can reveal to me Your perfect will. No, not all of the ‘lessons’ You teach are fun and games, but they draw me to You and fill me with worship and thanksgiving. I must praise You and ask that You keep me hungry and thirsty to know You more and more.
PONDER: Consider all that the Word of God does by starting with Acts 20:32.
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