Shaping Abstract Truths To Form A Firm Foundation – #6 How to Grow in Christ
A parable is an earthly story with heavenly meaning. The physical world helps us understand the spiritual world. Jesus loved to teach with parables.
When it comes to the inward change and the way we grow in Christ I think a butterfly is the perfect example. God has a great plan for caterpillar who has no wings but is stuck crawling on its belly. He gives it the instinct to inch its way along eating on the good things it finds until one day it comes to the place where it can safely form a cocoon around itself. There it is transformed and given wings to fly.
Like a caterpillar we inch along feeding on any thoughts that come our way until one day we hear the Gospel. When we trust what God’s says we call that believing or having faith. That truth becomes for us a safe cocoon where we can wrestle with our doubts and fears. When we want to live with Him more than we worry about what He might ask us to do, when we can trust His heart we will open our hearts by faith trusting Him to come live inside this body house with us. We will become new as we understand that life is about living with Him as part of us forever. Trusting His love for us is what changes us and sets us free to fly above our fear . . . above our doubt . . . above our guilt . . . and even above our own desires.
He will teach us how to flutter like a butterfly through the pages of His word, We’ll find food for the new us on the inside. He will show us the wonders of His goodness and kindness. He will teach us how to live as one of His people. There among those flowers we will find food for our hearts that comes from His love just like the butterfly finds the nectar in the flower. From learning to obey His word our hearts will be filled with satisfaction and strength.
God uses the process of comparing what we want to believe is true with what God says is true to change us. Trusting God’s ways are best instead of our own selfish ways is done by grace through faith. Taking one step of obedience at a time, changes us. Believers are called by their obedience to color the world around us with the beauty of His
love this means using spiritual muscles. Feasting on God’s Word and exercising faith through obeying His ways is how to grow strong and tall spiritually.
Suzi Ciliberti
Suzi Ciliberti works for Christar, a Missions Agency that plants churches among least-reached Asians worldwide. She served in Japan for two years as a single missionary and another nine with her husband and two children, then the family returned to the states. She and her husband have been serving in the US Mobilization Center since 2000. As a part of the Member Care Department, Suzi is consultant to families with children. She has been working as a children’s teacher since she was 17 and began her training under Child Evangelism Fellowship. She has taught in the church, as a school teacher for two years in a Christian elementary school, and as a speaker for adults training to work with children. She has also trained children, who are a part of families that work overseas, in their identity in Christ. She brings 44 years of teaching experience to her work. She loves creative writing as well as teaching and has found great fulfillment in combining the two as she blogs for Heartprints. She finds it a great privilege and joy to serve the Lord and His people. One of her favorite verses is Deuteronomy 4:10b, "Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children."
