As a parent, I know I have
thought those same words that God has for
1
"When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of
2 But the more
I called
the further they went from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who
taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
4 I led them
with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them.
5 "Will
they not return to
and will not
because they refuse to repent?
This passage started making
me think about God’s parenting of us.
We are in between Mother’s
Day & Father’s Day – some of our teens graduated, all of our kids are
changing grades – what a time of development during the months of May &
June!
I started thinking about our
stages of growth and our spiritual walk.
As I thought about it, I
began seeing that our walk with God is similar to our walk on earth.
When we first learn about
Jesus and his love for us, we are like babies.
We only understand that Jesus loves us.
As a young child, we have so much trust in our parents,
they’ve never let us down. We’ve never
questioned their motives. We love our
mom and dad.
In those first days, months
or years for some of us when we are in the infant stage of our relationship
with Jesus, all we understand is that he loves us. We don’t give much thought to our response to
Him.
Ephesians 4:11-16
11It was he who gave some to
be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be
pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that
the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and
in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole
measure of the fullness of Christ.
14Then
we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown
here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of
men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will
in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the
whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and
builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
This verse seems to indicate
that before we begin developing our spiritual gifts and using them for God’s
glory, before we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of
God, until we attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ – we are
infants, childlike in our understanding of God.
If a person says they are
speaking the words of God, a child believes that person. They don’t have the discernment to know if
those words are truly from God.
Children tend to only think
of their own needs and desires. They
want to feel good. The world revolves
around them. If you’ve ever seen a
temper tantrum from a child then you know what I mean. They desperately want the world to revolve
around them and get totally frustrated when it doesn’t. It’s part of the
growth cycle.
Some Christians are children, they’ve not used their spiritual gifts to build up
the church. They are not part of the
unity of the body. However, we see that
it is part of the process. We were all
children once. It’s not a bad thing, we just can’t stay that way forever.
Part of growing up is having
parents who don’t let us get away with our temper tantrums and bad behavior. It is easy to think that the world should
revolve around us. If something good
happens, then God is good. If something
bad happens, then God is mad at us. We
tend to forget the big picture when we are children in our spiritual walk.
God’s desire is for us to
grow up spiritually. He will put people
in our lives to remind us that the world does not revolve around us. The early stage of our relationship with
Christ is exciting and sometimes a little scary. We begin to see things in a new light. We begin stepping out in faith, learning
about our relationship with God and with other Christians. We have one-on-one discipleship here at
As we grow in our spiritual
walk, there may be a time when we can be like the “typical” teenager or young
adult. I say typical meaning the
teenagers in the world. I believe that
teenagers who know who they are in Christ are not typical.
Sometimes as we grow in
Christ, we get sidelined by something that we determine is the ultimate in our
growth. We believe we have achieved
it. It may be a sermon that changes our
thinking, it may be a book we read, whatever it is. In this “teenage” mentality, we begin to
think that we have all the answers.
With my 2 kids, when they
became 16, I told them that this is the one year that they know
everything. I would give them the
benefit of the doubt and make a comment “Oh, that’s right, you know
everything”. Then I told them that after
you are 16 you learn that you really don’t know everything after all – it all does
downhill from there.
As a Christian, we need to
remember not to get stuck in our growth.
We don’t have all the answers, we don’t know all there is to know
because God’s word is not stagnant.
Hebrews 4:12-13
12For the word of God is
living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to
dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes
of him to whom we must give account.
We must continue to
grow.
As we reach adulthood, we
realize that we don’t know everything.
We listen to others, we respect our parents more and more, we see the
results of our actions throughout our lives.
Our spiritual lives are like
that as well. We continue down the path
of becoming more like Christ in word, action, and deed.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
16May our Lord Jesus Christ
himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal
encouragement and good hope, 17encourage your hearts and strengthen you in
every good deed and word.
Colossians 3:16-18
16Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and
as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to
God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Understanding God’s love for
us is key to our own spiritual journey.
We see in Hosea 11 God’s
compassionate love for
1
"When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of
2 But the more
I called
the further they went from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who
taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
4 I led them
with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them.
5 "Will
they not return to
and will not
because they refuse to repent?
6 Swords will
flash in their cities,
will destroy the bars of their gates
and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are
determined to turn from me.
Even if they call to the Most High,
he will by no means exalt them.
8
"How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over,
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboiim?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused.
9 I will not
carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
For I am God, and not
man—
the Holy One among you.
I will not come in wrath. [c]
We see His affirmation in
the call of Jeremiah:
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew
[a] you,
before you were
born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the
nations."
6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said,
"I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say,
'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I
command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue
you," declares the LORD. Jeremiah
1:4-8
We see His instruction in 1
John 3:7-20, Philippians
1 John 3:7-20
7Dear children, do not let
anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is
righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has
been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to
destroy the devil's work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin,
because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been
born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the
children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child
of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
14Do everything without
complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children
of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine
like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[a] the word of life—in order that
I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. Philippians 2:14-16
13Therefore, prepare your
minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be
given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform
to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who
called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be
holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:13-15
I was struck by Rembrandt’s
painting of the Return of the Prodigal Son.
The more I look at it, the
more I begin to understand how God parents us.
For those who may not know
the story found in Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
11Jesus continued: "There was a man who
had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share
of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not long after that, the younger son
got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his
wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe
famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and
hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to
feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were
eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When he came to his
senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and
here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father
and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no
longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So
he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way
off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his
son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have
sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your
son.[b]'
22"But the father said to his servants,
'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and
sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast
and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost
and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the
field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called
one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your
brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.'
28"The older brother became angry and
refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he
answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never
disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could
celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your
property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are
always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and
be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost
and is found.' "
Looking at this picture, we
see the prodigal son on his knees before his Father. The son is pitiful to our eyes. His head is shaved like a slave. His clothing is torn. He has one shoe off, they are tattered and
torn, his feet are dirty and calloused. He does not even look into the eyes of his
father but instead turns his head away in shame and remorse.
Excerpt
from Henri Nouwen's
The Return of the Prodigal Son
"Often I have asked
friends to give me their first impression of Rembrandt's
Prodigal Son. Inevitably, they point to the wise old man who forgives
his son: the benevolent patriarch.
"The longer I look at
'the patriarch', the clearer it becomes to me that Rembrandt has done something
quite different from letting God pose as the wise old head of a family.
It all began with the hands. The two are quite different. The father's
left hand touching the son's shoulder is strong and muscular. The fingers
are spread out and cover a large part of the prodigal son's shoulder and
back. I can see a certain pressure, especially in the thumb. That
hand seems not only to touch, but, with its strength, also to hold. Even
though there is a gentleness in the way the father's
left hand touches his son, it is not without a firm grip.
"How different is the
father's right hand! This hand does not hold or grasp. It is
refined, soft, and very tender. The fingers are close to each other and
they have an elegant quality. It lies gently upon the son's
shoulder. It wants to caress, to stroke, and to offer consolation and
comfort. It is a mother's hand....
"As soon as I recognized
the difference between the two hands of the father, a new world of meaning
opened up for me. The Father is not simply a great patriarch. He is
mother as well as father. He touches the son with a masculine hand and a
feminine hand. He holds, and she caresses. He confirms and she
consoles. He is , indeed, God, in whom both
manhood and womanhood, fatherhood and motherhood, are fully present. That
gentle and caressing right hand echoes for me the words of the prophet Isaiah:
"Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the child she
has borne? Even if these were to forget, I shall not forget you.
Look, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."
Isaiah 49:15-16
15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her
breast
and have no compassion on the child she has
borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
16
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.
