If Only God Permits

He call us to build an entire house , not just a foundation !



Therefore , let us leave behind the basic teaching about Christ and advance to maturity............And we shall do this , if only God permits . ( Hebrews 6 : 1-3 )

If there's one constant theme in the New Testament , it's the call to become more and more mature in our Christian lives . For instance , St Paul wrote " I continue my pursuit towards the goal , the prize of God's upward calling , in Christ Jesus . Let us , then who are ' perfectly mature ' , adopt this attitude " ( Philipians 3: 14-15 ) .
Likewise , the author of Hebrews urges his readers to ' advance to maturity ' and not to settle for a constant diet of spiritual ' milk ' alone . The author is confident that his reader can grow up - " if only God permits " ( Hebrews 5:13 ; 6:1-3 ) . In other words , their growth in the spiritual life is not dependent only on their determination . Without God's grace , it will never happen .
If only God permits .This can sound like nothing more than a token mention of God , as one would offer a casual God bless you to a friend . But this is not the case . If the call to maturity is meant to inspire us , then these four words hold the key to the transformation we are looking for . These four simple words tell us that we cannot do anything on our own. They tell us that we must depend on the all-powerful , all-knowing and all-governing God .