Growing Into the Father’s Life
Just as fruit ripens naturally over time, so God’s children grow into His likeness through His life within them.
Devotional Credit: eManna by Witness Lee
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Witness Lee reminds us that the Christian life is not about imitation, but about participation in the very life of God. In Matthew 5:48 Jesus says, “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” At first, such a command may sound impossible. Yet when we understand it from the perspective of being born into God’s family, it becomes a word of assurance rather than of burden. We are His children, not outsiders trying to mimic Him.
Lee gives the simple but vivid picture of children growing up under their father’s roof. They do not become like their father by copying him, but by sharing his life. As they grow, his likeness naturally emerges in them. In the same way, we are not spiritual “monkeys” attempting to copy God’s holiness. We are His sons and daughters, born of His Spirit, sharing His nature, and destined to reflect His character more fully as we grow in His life.
This perspective takes away the pressure of striving. It shifts us from imitation to identity. Our growth in Jesus is not about performing well enough to resemble Him, but about trusting that His life within us will mature. There may be times when we are childish, but that does not change our sonship. Growth takes time, and the Father is patient, knowing that His life in us will bring us into the likeness of His Son.
Witness Lee helps us see that the perfection Jesus speaks of is not a call to self-made holiness. It is the inevitable outcome of being children of the Father. As we yield to His Spirit, we are gradually conformed into His image. This is not our achievement, but His life expressed in us. The more we rest in this truth, the more we discover that we truly are becoming the same as our Father by growing in His life.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My beloved child, you are not trying to imitate Me as a stranger would. You are My own, born of My Spirit, carrying My life within you. Just as children reflect their earthly father, so you reflect Me, your heavenly Father. The life I planted in you is alive, and it will mature.
Do not measure yourself by your childish moments. Growth is My work, and it will not fail. I have promised that you will be conformed to the image of My Son. You are not left to strive in the flesh, for you are already Mine, already united with Jesus, already complete in Him.
As you abide in Me, My life works in you quietly and steadily. What seems small today will grow into maturity tomorrow. Trust this process. Trust My presence. Trust that I will finish what I began in you. You are My child, and you will be like Me because you share My life.
Scripture References: Matthew 5:48, John 1:12-13, Romans 8:14-17, Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Galatians 4:6-7, Ephesians 1:5, Philippians 1:6, Colossians 3:10, 1 John 3:1-2.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a fruit slowly ripening on the counter. At first it is green, firm, and sour. But given time, warmth, and the right conditions, its sweetness and fullness emerge. The change is not forced; it is the natural result of life at work within it.
In the same way, God’s life in us ripens over time. We may look unfinished now, but the sweetness of His character is already forming. Today, when impatience or immaturity shows itself, I can quietly rest and say, “Lord, I trust You to bring forth Your life in me, expressing Your nature through me in this moment.”
Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You that I am not called to imitate You in my own effort. I am Your child, sharing in Your life and nature. I rejoice that growth in Your life is certain, and that I am being conformed into the image of Your Son. I rest in the truth that what You began in me You will complete, and I thank You for the joy of becoming more like You day by day.