Leviticus 18:2-4 (ESV)  “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God.

No, we are not going to have “the talk”. During my post called Graduation I said there are topics that are too sensitive within the administrations of faith for me to address. I will not disparage anyone’s faith. The same might be said of sex. There is no hotter topic of dispute between the world and Christendom that sexual immorality. I will leave “the talk” up to those whom you are subject to in faith matters.

Any time we begin to think about sin there is the tendency to put sexual immorality in the forefront. It is the easiest to judge and God has made His feelings known on the matter. However, at this time, you being yet young in the Lord and it is not my place to have “the talk”, let us read these opening verses of Leviticus 18 within the context of the world.

Nothing in these opening verses are specific in content. God has called you out of the world with all their rules, statutes and social mores. In the world society decides what is moral and what in immoral and that changes like a huge pendulum from being overtly Victorian to being overtly permissive. Seldom does social morality remain in any type of neutral position. Regardless of society’s positional swing, God says do NOT be like the world.

The Levitical Law is out and there is a new sheriff in town. The law of love.

Luke 2:46-49 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

Who among us has not said to our parents “I’m ready.”? Growth in Christ will come faster for some than others. There will be some who demonstrate an ability to reason and relate the deeper things of God so that elders are astonished at those gifts.

If you only look at the young Jesus here in this story you will miss out on a typical worldly reaction because Jesus submitted to His parents and return home. What if Jesus had stayed? How would the world have reacted to this young man?

The world would have glorified this young boy, not God the Father. They would have treated Him as a wunderkind. They would have propped Him up to be one of their own, boasting of their find. The story would have changed in ways we cannot predict.

The takeaway here for you children of God that have demonstrated recognizable gifts is right service to God. Having identified gifts does not mean you have the wisdom to use them to glorify God. Others may well seek to “put you to work”. Have you yet discerned the will of God to use your gifts to glorify God? Don’t allow others to treat you like a wunderkind.

The gifts from God are meant to glorify God not man.