Growing God's Way

This morning we were blessed to hear from pastor/writer John Ortberg at Buckhead Church. His sermon was so full of great quotes that I came home and googled a few key phrases. This is not the exact sermon, but it has many of the key points. I have also quoted a few of the things that spoke most to me: 

"God knows exactly what you need to grow…what relationships, what problems, what experiences, what groups, what teachings, what learnings. God knows just what will help every human being on earth grow, and His desire is for it never to become routine, never to be dull, and it will never look the same as anybody else.

You think about how differently God treats all of His children. 

God had Abraham take a walk, Elijah take a nap, Joshua take a lap, Adam take the rap. 

God gave Moses a 40-year time out, He gave David a harp and a dance. He gave Paul a pen and a scroll. 

He wrestled with Jacob, argued with Job, whispered to Elijah, warned Cain, and comforted Hagar.

He gave Aaron an altar, Miriam a song, Gideon a fleece, Peter a name, Elisha a mantle. 

Jesus was stern with the rich, young ruler, tender with the woman caught in adultery, challenging with the disciples, blistering with the scribes, gentle with the children, gracious with the thief on the cross. 

God never grows two people the same way. God is hand-crafter, not a mass-producer.

You are God’s workmanship. His plan to grow you up will not look exactly like His plan for anybody else, but He knows exactly what you need. So, our prayer on this one is, “God, how do You want me to grow?"

This spoke to me as an individual and it challenged me as a parent. God doesn't want me to be anyone else. He wants me to be the best me...the me He created me to be. Ironically, I cannot do it. Just as it is by grace I have been saved--not through will power or trying harder or doing more--it is by grace that I am sanctified. It is so freeing when we can really grasp that. The work is God's, less we should boast. Our job is to stay tuned into Him...to stay plugged into the vine...to reject the things that work to distract us from Him. The rest is up to God. This holds true in our lives...and in the lives of our children. 

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 NIV