Do you feel like you’ve outgrown your faith? Maybe you have. Perhaps you have attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives that no longer fit you or your place in the world and in God’s kingdom. The Lord hasn’t changed, but you have. And that worries you.
Unlike the rote answers you used to churn out to routine questions, the ideas you now contemplate don’t align with you’ve been taught about the Bible.
Maybe you should back off. After all, John warns that “anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” There’s safety in staying put.
But how can you settle when your heart wants to explore? What if the problem here lies not with the gospel, but with your narrow interpretation of it? Viewpoints that served you well no longer do. It’s time to let them go so you can receive the fullness of what Christ wants for you.
You can’t wear your favorite childhood clothing forever. When I was a kid, I used to own a green New York Jets jacket with white vinyl sleeves. I loved its bright colors and wore it as often as the weather permitted, but to my dismay, I outgrew the jacket.
Adult clothing doesn’t last, either. When I was a freshman in college, I bought a t-shirt at a Phil Keaggy concert. A simple, black memento, its clean design (the name Phil Keaggy juxtaposed beside an image of half an acoustic guitar) attracted attention. I was so proud of that shirt! Determined to keep it a lifetime, I held onto it until the fabric got holes in it and I had to throw it out!
Some Christians treat their faith like old clothing. They value it until they discover they’ve outgrown it.
Yet faith isn’t static; it’s supposed to develop. Paul says that “when I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”
So continue to build up your faith in God. Take your issues, challenges, and questions to Jesus. Learn to deal with the problems and joys of life with the Lord, not by yourself.
His Word will help you. As Paul urges, “as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
You’ve begun your journey with the Spirit; now continue with Him. Don’t pitch the Bible; keep it. You haven’t outgrown God’s Word. There’s more there, a lot more!
Recent Comments