“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
“You have heard it said to those of old, ‘you shall not commit adultery’. But I say to you that whoever looks at woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27&28
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
“…Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” Mark 1:28
So much of our growth into Sonship and manifesting the Kingdom can be measured by the responses we have to everyday problems that are encountered. As a parent, I have a desire to see each of my children grow and mature. Not by way of the worlds standards, but by yielding to the Holy Spirit, and becoming obedient to His voice alone. If my husband and I can lead our children to recognizing and respond to the Fathers voice, than our children will be obedient even when we are not around. We will have paved a way for their own unique relationship with the Father to grow and flourish. As our children grow, the expectations that my husband and I have for our children changes also. We expect our five year old to be truthful, to not hit or retaliate to her 15 month old sister, and to help clean up. However, our expectations for our son, is to not pee on the floor.
So many who have been born again, are convinced to be proud of their progress. “I haven’t yelled in days”, “when someone cut me off, I didn’t curse at them”, “when someone said something I didn’t like, I didn’t retaliate”. If this is where we are, we are nothing but babes. We are still dealing with the flesh in such a way as a child. We defend our actions, “well I didn’t hit the man”, but where is our heart? Are we in response to the Father? In order to actually be in response to the Father, we must put to death our self-centeredness and our self-focus. My desire for my children to grow and mature, pales in comparison to the desire of the Father to see each of us grow into Sons. The Father has such a strong desire to see us transform, it is in the transformation that we will have more revelation of the Father and His nature, of His plans and desires. Just as the communication changes and matures as my children grow, so does that of the Father and His matured Sons compared to the babes.
The realization that we are branches has to take deep root. The fact that NOTHING can be done without abiding in Him. How many of us have been doing nothing, thinking it is something. Since nothing can be done without Him, how much of our life has been nothing? Have we been deceived into thinking we are producing fruit? If the fruit we have, has been produced without the abiding in Jesus, than we are not producing fruit at all but merely flesh. Flesh and Spirit rule against one another, they will never be in harmony. No matter how many times man attempts to both walk in Spirit and in flesh or convince others that the flesh is who are or has benefit, it cannot work. It will always be war.
For what purpose have we come forth? And will we be responsive? Will the desire for pleasing the Father, out weigh every other desire we have? Are we willing to put to death the old man without remorse? If we are not, if we still have a taste for the world, if we still desire flesh instead of abhor it, then there will be no advancement into the Kingdom. However, if our desire is that of the Father, if we surrender all, if we look at our life as one that was gained because it was lost, than Sonship will become our identity.
Morning Thoughts 4/18
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