Childlikeness Versus Childishness

Focus: 1 Corinthians 13:11 - KJV

11. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Matthew 19:13-14

There is a tendency for some to confuse between childlikeness and childishness. They say we are all children of God and therefore they commend their followers to perpetual childishness. Yet, the heir, while still a child, is not better than the slave. It is true that Christ said the kingdom of heaven is of such. This is to say, those who are childlike in their hearts to love, forgive and obey instructions without questioning. However, Christ Himself came to draw the lost, convert the same to a child of God and assist him by building him into becoming son of God through the Holy Spirit. Hence, it is written, as many as believe in Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God. The Lord has no use of childish but childlike beings who attain the stature of the fullness of Christ as sons and thereby made joint-heirs with Him. The child whilst he remains as such lacks the understanding of the deep things of God and therefore worthless to the kingdom.

Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus because despite all He had revealed of Himself and His capacities to the followers, they lacked understanding and queried His ingenuity. At a point, He said at another place to them ‘how long shall I remain with you, you faithless generation?’ After His death, when the disciples returned to the sea to fish, He beckoned to them calling them little children thereby depicting their childishness. He particularly addressed the ring leader who took them all into the childish and therefore slave-like acts asking him tersely if he loved Him. Christ was simply saying to Peter, if you love me, then grow up and stop being childish. Rather, be child-like by feeding the flock I present to you, in obedience and reverence of me.

It is good to become children of God by conviction of the Holy Spirit in accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. But the mind of God is to raise us into sons by the help and leading of the same Spirit, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. And unless we become sons, we cannot fulfill the purpose for which we are raised, which purpose is to set the creature free of the captivity and bondage of the earth, for the earnest expectation of the creature awaits the manifestation of the sons of God. So, for as long as we remain childish, how can we manifest as sons? If as adults in the body of Christ, we are still found speaking like children, how better than slaves are we? The Lord is asking us to come up higher and do better. Start manifesting sonship first by getting understanding from the Holy Spirit and acting that which we do understand, to the glory of our God.

Please pray:

Father, I thank you for building me up into sonship in you. I pray that from today, every childish act becomes a thing of the past in my life, in Jesus’ name. I begin to shore up in stature that I may truly be like Christ and therefore a son of God through obedience to the Holy Spirit in me, in Jesus’ name. I receive the grace of obedience unto understanding the deep things of God so that from now on, like Christ, I will command those things that are not as if they are and they will become, in Jesus’ name. I pray that I will never relapse to childishness again in Jesus’ name.

Please share with others. God bless you.