Luke 2:52 “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.”
I recently got rebuked for my blog post on reaching 40-years-old entitled: ‘Reflections of an Old Fart’. “Immature!” they cried, and I had to hold my hands up. A few months ago, I accidentally broke wind on the treadmill running next to Mrs President of Burundi, making a sharp exit immediately afterwards in embarrassment, just as my cheeky trouser cough had done! That incident totally cracked me up. So I admit to having a puerile sense of humour, but is there any hope for me, and can I still strive for maturity?!
Well, let’s see what maturity is not: it’s not conformity. It’s not becoming boring, dull, safe, tame, or respectable. It’s not about knowing your Bible. Interestingly, the group who knew the Old Testament Scriptures the best were the very ones who arranged for his crucifixion. Knowing isn’t enough. It leads to pride which is the antithesis of spiritual maturity. Going to church, reading this each day, hopefully doing some more Bible study besides, praying – these are all good activities, but are they the barometer of spiritual maturity?
It’s not how many years you’ve been a Christian that determines your spiritual maturity. It’s how many days you walk with Christ. Growing towards maturity in a lifelong ongoing process of becoming more like Jesus, of recognizing the actual whilst aiming for the Ideal. It begins with the acceptance of personal responsibility. It involves learning progressively more effectively to live a life that reflects the truths, values and principles of the Scriptures. It is to live differently, not just to know or think differently, and is gauged by application, not just contemplation. As James warns: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (1:22), and “Faith without deeds is dead” (2:17).
Lord, help me live, walk, and grow daily more and more like Jesus. Amen!
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