Grown-Up FaithSample

A common rejection of God and the Bible comes from people who say they don’t want to live God’s way. Their philosophy of life is My Life—My Rules. Is that you? Are you offended by being told what to do, and you’re rather make your own rules?

If you’re a follower of Christ, then I hope your philosophy is God’s Life—God’s Rules. That’s what I’m trying to pursue, though I’m doing it imperfectly.

There’s also another way people try to live, It’s a false hybrid I often see people who call themselves Christians try following. It’s called God’s Life—My Rules. People who try that never grow up in their faith and never life the full life Jesus promises. If this describes you, perhaps God is using this moment to awaken you to move toward a grown-up faith by living according to his ways.

When we submit to God and obey him, he becomes free to bless us. Our lives won’t be perfect. They won’t be conflict-free. They won’t be without pain or mistakes. But they will be on track with God. And they will be alive and growing. When we don’t obey, we get stuck and prevent God from giving us the bigger and better life.

That’s what happened to the children of Israel after they escaped from Egypt. With God’s help, Moses took the Israelites to the edge of the promised land, and God was ready to deliver on the promise he gave Abraham. But what happened? The people balked. They gave in to their fear, and instead of trusting God, they rebelled. That was their choice, and God let them make it.

As a result, that generation wandered the desert for forty years until they died of old age. Once that generation died and the next generation grew up, God was ready to give them a chance to receive his promise. And Joshua, someone who had been trained by Moses, led the people into the promised land. That’s a reminder that God keeps his promises even if we don’t.

Is God free to bless you? Are you submitting to God and doing your very best to obey God’s rules? Even the ones you don’t like? Even the ones our culture doesn’t agree with? If so, then God will be able to trust you with the freedom, favor, and influence he wants to give you. And you will continue growing up in your faith.