Maturity

Have you ever had someone tell you to “just grow up?” It’s humbling and a bit embarrassing, to say the very least. While none of us likes to be admonished in that manner, truthfully, we need to be sharpened, pruned, mentored, and discipled in our walk with God.

If you’re like me, when I first surrendered my life to Christ, I was on FIRE — I read every verse I could, attended numerous Bible studies, asked questions of older, wiser women, and basically saturated myself with all things “Christian.” I stopped my self-destructive habits, dropped former friends from my old crowd, and cleaned up my language. That lasted for a year at best.

Sadly, though we may commit ourselves to the Lord and do our best to “die to self,” often our flesh takes over and we return to our old ways. We gossip, we laugh at vulgar jokes, listen to ungodly music, watch dark movies, and forget about the immense grace that God extended to us. It’s always been hard to be in the world but not of it.

When Paul addressed the Corinthians, he reminded them that they knew better (1 Corinthians 3:2). They’d already experienced God’s power and love yet were still like immature babies. He exhorted them to eat solid “spiritual” food, not milk, so they would mature in their relationship with God — just as we should.

I wonder how many of us Jesus followers are still like three-year-olds? While we should be childlike in our faith, we are called to grow in that faith and to disciple the nations as we mature. Instead of being stagnant, God wants us to grow so we can become more like Him, molded in His image.

Lord, forgive me when I am like a newborn, crying and scrambling for anything that will pleasure my needs. Help me to grow into your image, mature, and taste all that you have created me to be. Amen.

Go Deeper — Think back to when you first gave your heart to Jesus. Open the first Bible you owned and look at the highlighted notes you wrote. Check out your old journals. Now reflect on how far you’ve come or ask the Lord to help you go deeper with Him, and grow into His glory.