IT'S OK TO GO BACK TO PRE-SCHOOL
One of the greatest mistakes believers make is assuming that spiritual maturity means moving beyond the basics.
In reality, the deeper you go with God, the more you discover the importance of the fundamentals.
Many believers want revelation, ministry, authority, influence, and spiritual gifts. Yet God often takes us back to the place where it all began.
Back to faith.
Back to love.
Back to forgiveness.
Back to humility.
Back to dependence upon Him.
Sometimes God takes us back to spiritual pre-school.
Jesus said:
"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18:3
A child trusts.
A child believes.
A child depends upon their father.
A child is teachable.
A child remains connected.
The Kingdom of God is not entered through pride, self-sufficiency, or intellectual achievement. It is entered through childlike faith and dependence upon God.
Many believers spend years building ministries, careers, platforms, and reputations while neglecting the very foundation upon which everything must stand.
Jesus made it clear that there is only one foundation.
"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 3:11
If the foundation is weak, eventually the structure becomes unstable.
If the foundation is strong, everything built upon it can endure.
This is why love is not optional.
Love is foundational.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
1 John 4:7-8
Notice what John teaches.
Love is not simply something God does.
Love is who God is.
The more we know Him, the more we become like Him.
The more we become like Him, the more we love.
Many believers are trying to grow spiritually while bypassing love.
But God continually brings us back to the basics.
Back to loving Him.
Back to loving people.
Back to walking in forgiveness.
Back to extending grace.
Back to kindness.
Back to compassion.
The good news is that God has already placed His love inside every believer.
"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Romans 5:5
We are not trying to manufacture love.
We are learning to yield to the love that already lives within us through the Holy Spirit.
This is why Jesus taught:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind... and you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 22:37-39
Everything in the Kingdom hangs on these two commandments.
Love God.
Love people.
When we forget this, God often takes us back to pre-school.
Not to punish us.
But to strengthen our foundation.
The Psalmist understood this principle when he wrote:
"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it."
Psalm 127:1
Imagine spending thirty years building a house only to discover the foundation was cracked.
Imagine investing decades into ministry, business, relationships, or accomplishments only to discover that the foundation was missing.
None of us want a useless spiritual journey.
None of us want activity without intimacy.
None of us want ministry without Christ.
None of us want knowledge without love.
A Story About the Foundation
Years ago, a builder was constructing a beautiful home. The framing was impressive. The exterior looked amazing. Everyone passing by admired the progress.
But one inspector kept returning to the same place.
The foundation.
The builder became frustrated.
"Why do you keep looking at the foundation? Can't you see everything else I've built?"
The inspector replied,
"Because if the foundation is wrong, nothing else matters."
Eventually, hidden cracks were discovered beneath the structure. The builder had to stop construction and go back to repair what nobody could see.
It delayed the project.
It cost time.
It required humility.
But it saved the house.
Many times God does the same thing with us.
When we want to move forward, He says, "Let's revisit the foundation."
When we want deeper revelation, He says, "Let's talk about love."
When we want greater influence, He says, "Let's talk about humility."
When we want promotion, He says, "Let's talk about forgiveness."
It's okay to go back to pre-school.
The strongest believers never outgrow the fundamentals.
Love God.
Love people.
Become as a little child.
Because when the foundation is right, everything else can be built upon it.
And when the Lord builds the house, your labor will never be in vain.