Growing Into the Life of Our Father

Just as a child grows into walking by the life within, so we grow into the likeness of our Father by His life in us.

Devotional Credit: eManna by Witness Lee
Photo Credit: Unsplash

In today’s devotional, Witness Lee draws our attention to the high calling spoken by Jesus in Matthew 5:48: “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” At first, this sounds impossible. How can we, weak as we are, ever live up to such a standard? The truth, however, is not found in striving, but in identity. Jesus points us to the reality that we are children of the Father, born of His life, and carrying His nature within us. This perfection is not a goal we reach by imitation, but an expression of the life that already dwells in us.

The law of the kingdom of heaven reveals the greatness of the Father’s life. Every requirement we read shows not what we must manufacture, but what His life in us can accomplish. The exposure of our weakness is not meant to leave us in despair, but to drive us away from trusting in ourselves. When we abandon hope in our natural life and lean into the divine life that has been given to us, growth begins to happen.

Lee emphasizes that the Christian journey is not about trying harder or copying God from a distance. Rather, it is about yielding to His life within. We are not called to replicate the Father’s perfection, but to allow His nature to grow and bear fruit in us. This is why Peter speaks of newborn babes longing for the milk of the word, so that they may grow into salvation. Growth, not imitation, is the pathway to becoming like our Father.

This devotional reminds us that perfection is not about human achievement, but divine expression. As His children, we already share His life. The call is to stay with Him, turn away from self-effort, and trust that His nature will expand within us. In this way, the impossible becomes possible, because it is no longer we who strive, but the Father’s life in us that fulfills His own standard.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

My child, I have placed My life within you. You are not called to imitate Me from a distance, but to live as one who shares My nature. The command to be perfect as your Father is perfect is not a burden upon your shoulders, but a reminder of the life that is already yours.

Do not despair when you see your weakness, for your weakness only shows that your natural life cannot achieve My standard. Instead, renounce confidence in yourself and turn to Me. As you abide in Jesus, My Spirit works within you, shaping you into My likeness. You grow not by effort, but by nourishment, just as a child grows by receiving life through milk.

The life I have planted in you will bear fruit in season. The more you yield, the more you discover that it is I who live in you. My nature is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are not goals for you to strive after, but realities of My life flowing out of you. Stay with Me, trust Me, and watch as My life grows into maturity in you.

Scripture References: Matthew 5:48, 1 Peter 2:2, Galatians 2:20, John 15:4-5, 2 Peter 1:3-4, Galatians 5:22-23, Colossians 3:3-4, Philippians 2:13, Romans 6:4, Ephesians 4:13.

Real-Life Analogy

Think of a child learning to walk. The child does not study the parents’ movements and try to copy them step by step. Instead, walking develops naturally as the child grows, gains balance, and relies on the strength already placed within. The life inside the child makes walking possible, not constant imitation of the parent.

In the same way, our Father’s life in us matures as we yield to Him. Today, when I am tempted to measure myself against an impossible standard, I can say with quiet trust, “Lord, I rest in Your life within me. Grow Your nature in me in this moment.” This frees me from striving and allows His Spirit to bear fruit in me that I could never produce on my own.

Prayer of Confidence

Lord, I thank You that I am Your child, born of Your life and nature. I rejoice that I do not need to imitate You from a distance, but can trust that Your life within me is growing and maturing. I rest from my own effort and gladly yield to Your Spirit, confident that You will express Your nature in me. I praise You that what You command, You also provide, and in Jesus I am complete.