When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (1 Corinthians 1:13)
We have been set free to forgive, forget, put childish things away, and press on in the strength and power of Jesus Christ. It is a shame for a Christian to be stuck in yesterday’s activities and relationships. When we are pursuing and serving God in His house, in His Word, and in the prayer closet, we will receive the power of the Holy Spirit who sets us free from the bondage of old things and equips us for what lies ahead. Remember, the Lord is doing a new thing, and you are that new thing. Step into the new.
We suppose the Lord is going to do and show us new things all the time, but He will not. Why should He, when He knows we will bring old relationships, habits, and concerns into the new season? That was the egregious error Paul warred against in the early church. Men supposed the church should hearken back to the Old Testament economy and their obsession with Judaism and national Israel. They sought to shackle the Body of Christ to the Law of Moses, and the Holy Spirit would have none of it. Even today, men tout legalism and Zionism as New Testament concepts, but that is simply a refusal to put away childishness and come into God's fullness — and all the fullness of God is found in Jesus Christ. May the Lord help us grasp the fact that spiritual maturity is not made up of things we add, but things we put away . . . but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Let's Pray - Lord, I am determined to put away childishness. Draw me to the maturity You desire from me. I want to be fully grown in Christ. Amen.
Amen! This is food for the spirit.
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