GROWING UP!

Galatians 4 1-2 (NASB)

Sonship in Christ

Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.

God spoke to me in this verse today. He has always shown me a correlation or parallels between our earthly life and its structure and our relationship with Him. I am not going to spend a great deal of time detailing it. Even a mild study of the Bible will reveal this, and in many places the correlation is spoken of directly. Paul talks of us as infants needing to grow to maturity and defining what can and can not be fed to us. Jesus Himself makes the correlation between His upcoming marriage to the church and our own marriages and how we are to conduct ourselves within them using Him self as the example. If you examine scripture you will find over and over again varying layers of parallels, applicable to all aspects of our life.

In my own life after what seems as an eternity, I am certain that the date set by my father has come. I have been abiding in Him seeking Him and with all of my heart trying to find and give Him all of what He wants of me. And for the first time I feel like He just gave me the keys to the family car. A graduation into the next step of maturity if you will!

I think this verse speaks of what is happening in me right now as well as the evolution we all must make if we truly desire to serve and be used by God. In Galatians chapter four, Paul follows this verse in the context of humanity and the progression of Gods plan of salvation. But I see personal application in this simple statement when viewed with Paul’s other writings regarding our growth and maturity in Christ.

Think about your own children! From the time they were born you were there to meet virtually any and every need or desire they had. They were completely incapable of doing anything on there own. And growing from a toddler to a teenager they began to take more responsibility for there lives and actions but all completely under your guidance and protection. The further they would step away from you during this time, the more disastrous the consequences of their failures became and the pain they would suffer because of it. But you were there to help as they would allow. Until, ultimately they would come to a place of decision. “Do I follow in the way my father has taught me, or do I go it on my own?” From that point forward what happens to them is out of your control. If they fall and reach out to you, as a father you will always be there. But until, or unless they are with you, following you… never leaving your side. They will be outside of your constant guard and protection and will continue to fall and fail, sometimes to the point of death.

So it is with us and God.

There are many people of various stages of growth in the church. They all are Gods children, heirs of the throne. But they are still kids. Kids with no power or responsibility; because they still are incapable of managing their own affairs, let alone being able to handle any responsibility! And in the Bible they read of and in their own church’s they see people used by God, people with power and influence. And they wonder; “Why not me?”

Before God can use us there is a journey we must make to maturity. In my own life growing up has been filled with tremendous pain and horrible mistakes. Some that almost cost me my life. But like the prodigal son, I came home. And because I came home unconditionally, with no agenda but to follow in my Fathers footsteps; He gave me back the keys to the car. Because He knows where I am going!

When we hand our teenagers the keys to the car, it is a moment filled with fear and dread. We don’t know what they will do, or if they will even return from their first solo journey. But not so with God! He knows… he knows where you will go, what you will do and what the outcome will be before you ever leave the driveway.

And you aint gettin the keys to the car until He KNOWS your mature enough and it will work out right!