Putting Away Childish Things: A Father's Call to Maturity

Jun 21, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When "I Ain’t Got Time" Shapes Weighty Words

A childish tongue speaks before thinking, but mature words heal. Paul contrasts reckless speech with the sober responsibility of manhood. Like a father correcting his child’s outburst, God calls believers to weigh their words carefully. Proverbs warns that life and death hang on the tongue. Maturity means apologizing when wrong, speaking grace over gossip, and using language to build rather than destroy. What we dismiss as “just talk” often reveals childish hearts. [34:19]

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
(Proverbs 18:21, KJV)

Reflection: When have your words caused unintended harm? What practical step can you take today to reconcile with someone affected by your speech?

Day 2: Pools, Escalators, and Seeing Beyond the Hood

Childish comprehension limits perspective. The preacher recalls kids who’d never seen in-ground pools or escalators—their world defined by lack. Maturity expands vision through exposure to God’s abundance. Fathers are called to stretch their children’s understanding beyond current circumstances, just as God invites us to see His kingdom’s breadth. Spiritual growth demands trading narrow “hood thinking” for divine possibility. [40:03]

“Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”
(Romans 7:4, KJV)

Reflection: What limited perspective from your past still shapes your decisions? How can you intentionally expose yourself to God’s broader vision this week?

Day 3: Calculating Costs Before Choosing Crosses

Maturity counts consequences. A child grabs forbidden phones; a man weighs addiction’s toll. Paul urges putting away selfish calculations for Christ-centered stewardship. Like budgeting time to tithe 16.8 weekly hours to God, mature faith asks, “Will this please Him?” Every choice—pride, neglect, or faithfulness—ripples through generations. [49:25]

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”
(Luke 14:28, KJV)

Reflection: What habitual choice have you made without considering its spiritual cost? What would it look like to recalculate that decision through Christ’s eyes?

Day 4: Boxing Up Toys to Claim New Territory

Toys don’t put themselves away. Paul insists maturity requires actively storing childish things—bitterness, passivity, old addictions. Like moving from a cramped apartment to a spacious home, growth demands leaving behind what once fit. The preacher testifies: replacing bottles with prayer closets reshapes destiny. [54:30]

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
(1 Corinthians 13:11, KJV)

Reflection: What “toy” have you outgrown but still cling to? What practical act—physical or spiritual—could symbolize releasing it this week?

Day 5: Fixated on Altars, Not Just Appliances

Fathering transcends providing food to fostering faith. Joshua’s declaration—“we will serve the Lord”—redefines a household’s mission. Maturity kneels more than it controls, prays over paychecks, and guards against spiritual threats louder than worldly ones. Like Jesus preparing heaven’s address, fathers build eternal legacies. [56:16]

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
(Joshua 24:15, KJV)

Reflection: What daily habit most clearly signals your household’s allegiance to Christ? How could you deepen that marker of faithfulness this month?

Sermon Summary

Paul draws a straight line from childishness to manhood. The text says a child talks, understands, and thinks in a certain way, but a man puts childish things away. Fatherhood, then, is not a bag of neckties; it is a holy calling to stand, serve, sacrifice, and show. Real fathers are responsible, reasonable, and rational. The move comes in four lanes: conversation, comprehension, calculation, and conduct.

Childish conversation runs reckless. A child talks without thinking, rules with words instead of healing with them, argues hard and apologizes never. The mature man learns his words have weight. Death and life sit in the power of the tongue, so a father owns his mistakes and says, I was wrong. God is calling men to be effective communicators at home, in the church, and in the community, speaking from a higher place that lifts people.

Childish comprehension is a small lens. Exposure changes comprehension, so fathers are called to open horizons, expand minds, and teach that God’s resources are not limited. Wisdom is the principal thing, and understanding is the fruit of maturity. Leadership is not domination; it is service. Everybody deserves a voice and a vote, and in Christ each person has both.

Childish calculations are self centered. A child says mine and dodges responsibility. Maturity counts the cost of pride, bitterness, absence, addiction, and laziness, and then asks, Would God be pleased? The renewed mind does not conform to the world. It refuses to turn God’s gifts into idols. It honors God with time, with worship, and with choices that set a family’s trajectory. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord is not a slogan; it is a decision that reorders a household.

Childish conduct never puts itself away. Toys do not jump back into the box. Maturity requires a choice. Put away pride and put on humility. Put away bitterness and put on forgiveness. Step out of passivity and into leadership. Jesus sets the pattern and supplies the power. He goes to prepare a place, carries the cross, speaks peace in storms, dies, and rises. His grace breaks chains. The call lands right now: kick it out, put it away, ask God for a new mind, and come to Christ. This address is not permanent. Pilgrims and strangers are headed home, and the Father is calling men to lead the way.

Key Takeaways

1. Put away childish conversation A child fires off whatever he feels; a father measures his words because he knows they heal or they harm. Confession is not weakness but stewardship of a soul handed to his care. Let apology become a tool for rebuilding trust, not a last resort. Speak from a higher place so others can rise with it. [35:10]
2. Grow past childish comprehension Limited exposure shrinks understanding; wise fathers widen their children’s world so faith can imagine more than scarcity. As faith grows, comprehension of God’s character and provision grows with it. Wisdom weds insight to responsibility, turning knowledge into service. Let understanding stretch until generosity feels natural. [40:03]
3. Count the cost, renew the mind Maturity lays every option on the table and asks one question, Would God be pleased? The renewed mind refuses quick wins that mortgage the soul. It guards against turning blessings into idols and schedules into excuses. Transformation starts in the head before it reforms the habits. [49:53]
4. Maturity requires a decisive put away Childish things never shelve themselves, so a father must make the move. Put off pride, bitterness, and passivity; put on humility, forgiveness, and commitment. Decision becomes the doorway through which character walks. Responsibility is not a mood; it is a choice repeated daily. [54:09]
5. Follow Jesus into costly obedience Jesus models manhood that serves, suffers, and stays faithful. Strength is not bluster but backbone that carries a cross, loves when overlooked, and speaks peace into chaos. His death and resurrection supply the power to change what flesh cannot. Obedience may cost, but grace keeps the bill paid. [58:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:29] - Text announced 1 Corinthians 13:11
[30:20] - Father’s Day call to men
[33:30] - Childish conversations exposed
[35:10] - The weight of words
[38:36] - Childish comprehension named
[40:03] - Exposure expands understanding
[43:49] - Faith stretching into maturity
[49:25] - Counting the cost of choices
[49:53] - Renewed mind over conformity
[53:49] - Put away childish things
[55:33] - As for me and my house
[56:45] - Jesus goes to prepare a place
[58:01] - Strength to carry the cross
[66:56] - Invitation to Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV): When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Observation Questions

What three aspects of childhood does Paul contrast with maturity in 1 Corinthians 13:11?
How does the sermon describe the difference between a child’s use of words and a mature person’s use of words? [35:10]
According to the sermon, what practical example illustrates how limited exposure affects a person’s comprehension? [40:03]

Interpretation Questions

Why might Paul link "giving up childish ways" to spiritual growth and leadership in a household?
How does the idea that "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21) connect to the responsibility of fathers in their communication? [35:10]
What does the sermon suggest is the relationship between a "renewed mind" (Romans 12:2) and daily choices that honor God? [49:53]

Application Questions

When have your words caused harm instead of healing, and what step could you take this week to rebuild trust through apology or humility? [35:10]
What’s one area where your perspective feels limited (e.g., God’s provision, relationships, or purpose), and how could you intentionally seek wisdom or new experiences to grow? [40:03]
Identify a habit or attitude you’ve been avoiding responsibility for (e.g., pride, laziness). What specific action will you take to "put it away" and replace it with Christlike character? [54:09]
How can you intentionally model sacrificial leadership (like Jesus carrying the cross) in your home, workplace, or community this week? [58:01]
What practical decision can you make today to align your household’s priorities with the commitment, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"? [55:33]

Sermon Clips

81s

#RenewedMindNewLife

“We make time for stuff that slows us down, that hinders us, and if you have a childish conversation, that means your comprehension is childish. And if your comprehension is childish, that means your decisions are calculated incorrectly. And if your decisions are calculated incorrectly, that means your conduct is wrong. But if you put those things away, and ask god to give you a renewed, a new mind, a new mind, then god will step in. He will step into your life. He will step into your life. So, we offer Christ to you today. He'll make you brand new. He'll give you a new mind a new heart, a new attitude, a new walk, and a new home.”

31s

#CountTheCost

“A mature man. Alright. Counts the cost before he makes the choice. He counts the cost of having a prideful spirit. He counts the cost of being bitter. He counts the cost of not being there. He counts the cost of addiction, laziness, unfaithfulness. He puts everything on the table and counts the cost and asks himself the question, would god be pleased with my actions? Oh, yes.”

37s

#BringHomeFaith

“Everybody in your household, everybody that lives with you, everybody everybody in your culture, everybody that surround you, you gotta put that in the minds that we will serve the lord That is what fathers are called to do Not just bring home food but bring home faith Not just pay bills but pray prayers, not just fixed cards, but be fixated on kneeling at the altar. Not just protect the house from outside dangers but but to look for spiritual dangers and and speak death to those spiritual dangers.”

41s

#PutOnHumility

“When you put away some stuff, you have to put away pride and put on humility. You have to put put away bitterness and put on forgiveness. You have to put up put away laissez faire approach and put on commitment. You have to put on your put away your passiveness and step in to leadership. You have to put away childish conduct and begin to to show people your Christ like character and man does not become mature because he because he never fails. He becomes mature because he's always pressing on trying to make a new address.”

37s

#FaithUnderFire

“Faith is when you allow god to let your strength that you don't have go farther than what people say you could do. Faith is when you stand flat footed and trust in god when all hell is falling in around you. Faith is what you do when the world says you can't but god called you higher. Faith is where you when you stand at the bottom and long for the top only to believe that god can take you there because god says, I am with you all the way. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

41s

#SabbathFirst

“You know, they were praising god before they got what they been asking god for and then when they got it, something strange happened. They begin to lift that up more than god. I I use this example because most people can appreciate this. If you were driving down the road to church this morning where sometimes when something was going on church and you happen to pass by a car wash, you often times see people out there at the car wash washing their cars on Sunday, going to play baseball and basketball on Sunday, doing things on Sunday, and they never make any time for god because Sunday is that day off”

36s

#LeadershipIsService

“You got to get an understanding of just what god can do for you. A man can have money and still lack understanding. A man can have muscles and still lack understanding. A man can have a title and still lack understanding but when god matures a father, he gives him understanding and he begins to understand that leadership is not domination, it is service. If we can get some of that at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, this world would be a lot different now.”

32s

#TransformYourMind

“God does not just want us to change our clothes, our car, our circumstances. God wants us to change our complete because a complete mind can send your family on a different trajectory. A complete mind will cause a change of mind will cause you to realize not that I can afford it but that god wants me to have it and if god wants me to have it, I have to honor god with it.”

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Putting Away Childish Things: A Father's Call to Maturity

Devotional

Day 1: When "I Ain’t Got Time" Shapes Weighty Words

Day 2: Pools, Escalators, and Seeing Beyond the Hood

Day 3: Calculating Costs Before Choosing Crosses

Day 4: Boxing Up Toys to Claim New Territory

Day 5: Fixated on Altars, Not Just Appliances

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Putting Away Childish Things: A Father's Call to Maturity

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