God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. Ephesians 4:15 (The Message)
Remember lining up at school? There was always that one kid at the front—the unofficial leader—who decided when the line moved and when it didn’t. If they stepped forward, everyone followed. If they froze, the whole line froze too. It was a simple lesson we didn’t know we were learning yet: who’s leading makes all the difference.
Paul uses that same picture in Ephesians 4:15 to help us understand our walk of faith. As Christian believers, our life in Christ goes far beyond accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. Salvation is where our new life in Christ begins, but it is not where it ends. After salvation, Paul tells us we are expected to grow and mature in our faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. That deeper discipleship happens as Christ begins a new work in our transformed lives.
Paul explains that our growth and maturity come when we place Jesus Christ as the head of our lives. And when Christ is the head, we take our lead from Him as the source of everything we do. In other words, Jesus isn’t just somewhere in the line—He’s at the front. Our direction, pace, and movement come from Him.
First, we make Jesus Christ our head. He is in complete and total charge of our lives. Christ doesn’t bully His way to the front of the line—no, we gladly and completely surrender every area of our lives to Him. Everything connected to our old way of living—before we accepted Christ—has to go. We make a clean break from our old life, our old desires, passions, and actions.
Second, everything we think, say, and do begins to imitate Jesus Christ. We follow the moving and leading of the Holy Spirit, who guides and directs us to live in conformity with God’s Word. Jesus becomes our example and role model for living, and we take on a God-fashioned life, renewed from the inside out.
Finally, because of our growth and maturity in Jesus Christ, others will see a difference—often a complete 180-degree change. Our conduct becomes more like Jesus as God reproduces the character of Christ in us. We live lives of truth, with no lies. Our words shift toward encouragement, becoming gifts that build others up. Our actions grow gentler, marked by kindness and sensitivity. And our hearts become quick to forgive, releasing grudges and forgiving others just as Christ has forgiven us.
Who we follow determines how we live. When Christ is at the front of the line, growth follows—and a changed life becomes the evidence of who is leading. Take a moment today to ask yourself who’s setting your pace and direction, and if Christ is truly at the front.
Written by
Lane and Jules Morris
Authors and University of Tennessee faculty writing from our farm in East Tennessee about gardening, the farm kitchen, faith and designing a flourishing life at any age. More about us
