One of the most rewarding experiences in my own life is seeing who my children have become – each uniquely contributing to their world.
Christian, are
you growing into beauty, maturing in the ways of God? Peter urges disciples to 'eat right' and grow
up! "Like newborn babies, crave pure
spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." (1
Peter 2:2, NIV) Paul pointed out the immaturity of the Corinthian Christians,
who continued to bicker with each other, to be focused on emotional experiences, and to abuse the gifts of the
Spirit. "I couldn’t talk to you as I
would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world
or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with
milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And
you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature."
(1 Corinthians 3:1-3, NLT) Their immaturity was robbing them of joy and beauty!
Most parents know
how difficult it can be to motivate a teenager to start to accept
responsibility. When they tell that boy
who is 17 that his weekly allowance will come to an end and it’s time to find a
job, he will likely whine and resist. It's not just laziness. There is fear and even a lack of vision for the future. But, when that boy starts to earn real income
and gains some financial, he experiences the reward of independence.
When we
are pressed by our Father to grow up we do not always see the positive result,
either. “Why are you doing this to me,
Abba?” we cry in prayer. “How could you let me go through such a hard time?” It may
be that He is desirous of the beauty of maturity! So, what does this maturity
look like? It is about who we are, not what we do! Yes, mature disciples will have skills, but even more
important, they will be filled with the character of Christ Jesus.
There is great
comfort in the wisdom of our Father as He parents us into mature disciples. He does not just throw us into the street and say,
‘grow up.’ He provides resources what Bible
says will develop us into men and women of excellence. "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for
living a godly life. … He has given us great and precious promises. These are
the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s
corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to
respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of
moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with
self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance
with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection
with love for everyone. The more you
grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:2-9, NLT)
Even in maturity
we keep growing. Until His kingdom comes, we can lay no claim that we have
arrived at perfection. I have been
Christ’s follower for 50 years and I am still growing in His grace. Are you?
Here’s the word from the Word. Let’s
aspire to become mature, beautiful in Him, ready for every good work. "Brothers,
I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal
to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of
us who are mature should take such a view of things." (Philippians
3:13-15, NIV)
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