Growing Up Into Christ

As I read this week I can't help but to think, this book is starting to sound like a broken record. I just keep getting the message: give it all to Christ. Know that he loves you. Know that you need him. When you repent give it to him and let him give you a heart of repentance. When you confess, let Christ bring it to your remembrance and let him give you the strength. When you consecrate yourself, consecrate all to Christ; give him everything. Let Christ give you the faith and accept that he will. When you desire Christ know that you are sincere and now, as you grow, the power comes from Christ. I believe God is sending me a message, one that is very loud, clear, and redundant: Give EVERYTHING to me.

I praise God for this message, and for the redundancy of it because it is something that I need to read every week, cause every week I forget and want to start doing something on my own again. It is helpful to know, that through every step of the journey, Christ is there, wanting to take my burdens, my worry, my guilt. Never once is he saying, here this is what you need to do. Rather, he is saying, here this is what I can do for you.

Even as I grow, the growth comes from Christ. He likens it to a plant or a child. Neither of which is full grown overnight. Their is a process and stages of learning. So this is what my Christian life is supposed to be. I am not going to be everything that I am supposed to be over night. It doesn't happen in an instant. I have to go through a growth process, stages of learning and maturing.

A child doesn't do anything to make themselves grow. They grow from their environment. As I grow spiritually I have to be in an environment of Christ, if I want to grow in Christ; surrounding myself in him. What does this mean? Is that all I do is read my Bible and talk of Jesus and not partake of anything else in this life? I do not believe that this is the message that was being given, I believe that their are certain environments that I should stay away from and certain ones I should put myself in to foster my Christian growth dependent upon where I am in my growth. For instance, their are certain things that children are not allowed to do or places they are not allowed to go to. However, as the child grows and matures the parents start letting the children do more. I need to think of myself as a child growing in Christ and know when I am not mature enough to go into an environment that may influence me to choose to serve another master over Christ.

Growth, it seems like such a process, and maybe it is, but it's a process that I do not have to do. I just put my focus and trust in Christ and I know I will grow naturally. Christ will foster my growth. I no longer need to worry about whether I will be saved or not, or focus on my weaknesses and shortcomings. I simply need to commit my life to Christ and trust Him and put away my fears.

As I set out to trust completely in Christ and live and grow in him may this be my prayer each and every morning:

Take me dear God as completely yours. I lay my life and  all of my plans before you. Please use me today in your service. Walk with me and live within me so that all my work be done in you.