Thursday, May 12 – 1 Corinthians 13:9-12

For we know in part and prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.

Have you ever seen a child frustrated while trying to accomplish a certain task they didn’t yet have the skillset for? As adults, we see the development that needs to take place in kids; maybe they need to grow taller to reach the monkey bars or develop more hand-eye coordination to catch a ball. As Paul exhorted the church of Corinth in love, he also acknowledged that this is all a part of a larger process that is taking place. He acknowledged his past growth and the room he had to continue growing. As followers of Jesus, we will grow in our faith as we live our lives with Him, but there will always be some things that will remain a mystery for us on this side of heaven. While it is easy to get frustrated with where we are, we can trust that God is not trying to hide the depth of His love from us but has the perfect timing in mind as we grow and come to know Him more.

As a child becomes frustrated when they hit developmental roadblocks, there is hope that they will someday grow enough to overcome these challenges. As followers of Jesus, we have the greatest hope: we are fully known by God, and He has made a way for us to know Him. The magnitude of God’s love reminds us of the grandeur of our Lord. His love is so mighty and so vast because He is the eternal everlasting God. When we abide in Him, there will always be areas to grow, but when we see the glimpses Paul wrote about in today’s text, we recognize it is worth putting away childish things to live in a relationship with Him.

• Why is having room to grow a hard thing? Why is it a good thing?
• How does being fully known by God encourage you?
• Pray and thank God that even though you are still learning to know Him, you are already fully known by Him.