Just grow up!

When a silly mood strikes me it often ends with my wife’s irritation because I act like a teenager – making dumb faces, talking in silly voices, teasing her. Her face gets tense and she says, “Just grow up!”   “What’d ah do?” I ask, eyes wide with fake innocence, in my best Bill Clintonesque voice. For all my stupid antics, I am mature.  It’s not because I am 59 years old.  Maturity means that I know the difference between “what I need” and “what I want.”   I know how to govern my emotions and do what needs to be done. I make hard choices even when emotion says, “let it go!”

Are you a maturing saint?

God, a good Father, trains us for maturity. God’s power is actively leading us towards transformation. He has broken the grip that the sinful nature held over us. He has opened our eyes to the truth about right and wrong. These are gifts of grace we could not earn, that are ours to receive. Then He says, “Grow up!”  We don’t need to keep going back to the starting line of faith – repeatedly. We must move on.  The Word urges us to "stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God." (Hebrews 6:1, NLT)

There is a passage from Peter’s second letter that I read often.  Remember Peter’s struggle to grow up? As a disciple, he made mistakes, blundered into stupid situations, and failed at the critical moment. But, the Lord saw his potential and called him a rock.  “You were known as Simon, but I’m calling you Peter (meaning, rock),” Jesus said.  Peter grew up when he received the Spirit of God and moved forward in obedience.  The unreliable, impulsive, immature man became the leader of the church and died a martyr’s death with great courage.  He explains what changes us.  God’s "divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.(You can GROW UP!) 

Then, Peter reminds us that there is a part for us to play, too.  “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall." (2 Peter 1:3-10, NIV)

Disciple, has the grace of God led you to become a productive mature person who makes a noticeable difference in the world for the Kingdom of God? (Go back and re-read that question, please.) Or, are you one of those Christians playing the game of ‘cheap grace,’ comforting yourself in your immaturity by focusing only on the love of God and ignoring the inevitability of accountability to Him?    Is the Lord looking on your life and saying, “Oh, come on. Grow up!”

·         Make the choices that lead mature faith.
Develop your mind so you can see what’s really going on around you.
Know your real motives, be honest – with yourself!
Hang in there when the going gets rough.
Be kind, even to those who do the dumb stuff that drive you to distraction.
Live in love. And… keep growing deeper in these things.

The word from the Word says, "The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:8, NLT)

Come on now, grow up, for God’s sake!
_____________________

I'm pressing on the upward way,
New heights I'm gaining every day.
Still praying as I'm onward bound.
"Lord plant my feet on higher ground!"

I want to live above the world
Though Satan's darts at me are hurled.
For faith has caught the joyful sound
The song of saints on higher ground.

I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright.
But still I'll pray 'til heaven I've found
"Lord lead me on to higher ground!"

Lord lift me up and let me stand
By faith on heaven's tableland.
A higher plain than I have found
Lord plant my feet on higher ground!

Higher Ground
© Public Domain
Charles Hutchison Gabriel