^{Ephesians 4:14} We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Jesus teaches us to come to him like a child, (“receive the kingdom of God as a little child”) receiving grace unadulteratedly (not as an adult?) with delight and joy and no perversion of doctrine or academic criticism or or over-thinking or trickery.  In other words, Jesus might say, ‘don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,’ when you first come to him.  Receive it freely as given freely in truth and love.

Paul reminds us in today’s letter to the Ephesians of what it takes to live as one who has joyfully, earnestly, and honestly received the gift of salvation. It takes maturity, discernment, commitment, right intention – not blind childlike faith.  Nor distraction from the Word by the winds of time which anchor doctrines to the law.  No, a member of the body of Christ comes to the body with a childlike awe, but grows with and strengthens the body by nothing short of hard work, commitment, personal responsibility, and obedience.

How are you doing?  Did you come to Christ joyfully, receiving the gift of love and forgiveness gratefully as sweetly as a little child only to let it idle there on the playground?  A gift horse untrained?  Unused?  Left in a stall as a show horse, “I am a Christian, see?”

Comfortable or committed?

That is what I hear the Spirit asking me in the readings, today.

Lectionary Readings January 2, 2014:  AM Psalm 34; PM Psalm 33
1 Kings 19:1-8; Eph. 4:1-16; John 6:1-14