229. Grow up into Him
Ephesians 4:15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
“Grow up!” is not a chiding command to an immature person. It is a promise to all Christians. You may grow up into Jesus Christ.We will never finish growing up, but we continue to grow up. We learn more and more about Jesus, we are being conformed to His image, and we are becoming more and more like Christ.
We admit that we do not always act like mature Christians, but we have the promise that we may grow up into Him in all things. Believing the promise that we may grow up does not make us proud, but rather faith in the promise keeps us humble. I repent of my failure and immaturity and coming up short of the glory. I receive forgiveness in the Gospel and, with it, the power to grow.
But what does “in all things” mean? Certainly it does not mean wearing sandals and sporting the same kind of beard. It does not mean working miracles and healings. But “all things” means everything spiritual: all the spiritual blessings of Christ as a human become ours. Essentially “all things” has to do with character. The character of Christ shows up more and more as we grow into Him. The character of the body of Christ and the body and soul of each believer exhibits the fruit of the Spirit, and essentially it looks like love. Loving others is much more than having tender feelings and warm fuzzies; it is more than doing kind things and making other people feel good; it is also dying to self and laying down our lives for the good of other people. This is being Christ-like.
When Christ shows up He will always be the “adult in the room.” When Christ uses our life and shows up it will always be with wise counsel, loving care, a peaceful spirit, and exuberant joy. Most people will recognize Him when they see Him, and hopefully they will say, “I want to be like that.” That’s the promise: You may grow up into him in all things.