Spiritual Maturity

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Hebrews 5:11-14): ¹¹ Much more could be said about this subject. But it is hard to explain, and all of you are slow to understand. ¹² By now you should have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food. ¹³ People who live on milk are like babies who don't really know what is right. ¹⁴ Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong.

THOUGHTS: There are lots of references in the Bible that speak to maturity in the Lord, so when I read this passage this morning I thought perhaps we should look at this a little closer and try to discern if you and I are making any effort to mature in the Word of God and our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that it would be good to see the values in an infant versus the values we see in maturing individuals. Infants are very needy and very dependent on others to provide for them and help them survive. In an infant Christian we see similar traits, for they need to be fed the Word of God and taught about how this new found relationship with God needs the Word of God imbedded in their knowledge and expressed in their character and life values. In the life of a maturing individual, we see where they are able to feed themselves and perhaps able to earn a living so they could provide food and shelter for themselves. In a maturing Christian, we should see where they go after spiritual food on their own – through personal Bible study and applying biblical principles in their lives. They become grounded in their relationship with God and depend on Him every day for their spiritual growth and maturity so that they in turn can turn around and help others who are still 'infants' in their spiritual walk. In physical life, when an adult remains a child in their maturity level, it may become very challenging for independent, maturing adults to respect them and treat them properly, for it often appears like they may have made a deliberate choice to be irresponsible. It appears like the writer of Hebrews may have faced similar frustrations with immature Christians, for he stopped his line of teaching because he realized that he was talking to a group of people still stuck in their infancy maturity level. Friends, we must be careful to not fall in the group who not only needs constant training and growth in the Lord, but our very existence depends on that spiritual food taught by others. This detracts from the teacher assigned to help new Christians get a head start on their walk to maturity, and adds to their frustration level as to why you insist on remaining in your infancy stages of Christianity. If approached about the hope that lives inside of you, be ready with an answer. Please don't refer that person to your Bible teacher or preacher, they identify with you and want to hear your story. If you have to use the Word of God to tell the story, then always have a verse in mind that you feel explains your story. Develop a personal relationship with your Creator and be prepared to share your story with any that might ask, or need it.

PRAYER: Dear God, I believe that we are all challenged to say that we have attained full knowledge of You, for Your mercy is a daily thing and it endures forever. I believe that each time we open Your Word, You reveal new truths to us, but I also believe that it behooves us to always do our part by getting into the Word daily so that it might be a light unto our path for the day, and knowledge and leadership for sharing spiritual truths with all those that we come into contact with. Lord, please help us to strive for self-sufficiency and maturity in our relationship with You so that we might go on to be mentors to others who need You and not continue in our infancy stages of full dependency on our earthly spiritual leaders. I know that we will always increase our maturity under the teaching of our earthly Godly leaders, but I also believe that this only comes to those who have committed to a daily walk and personal growth plan in their personal relationship with You. Please have Your will and way in our lives today is my earnest prayer dear Jesus, that I ask in Your magnificent name, AMEN!

 

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