Perpetual Immaturity
I think it was Peter Pan who did not ever want to grow up. His idea of a great life was to stay a boy forever. I remember being a boy, and it was fun. However, I must disagree with Peter Pan. Remaining a child or even an adolescent all of our lives is not the best life.
God's goal for each of His children is that we reach maturity. Maturity is defined different ways, but I like the definition I learned for the Greek word for maturity. That definition says that to be mature is to begin to do what you were designed to do in life. An apple tree becomes mature when it bears the first apples. A Christian becomes mature, when he or she stops talking about what God wants them to do and starts doing it. There are a lot of believers who know what to do. The thing they lack is the maturity to do it. That is what God is looking for.
Now, it would be impossible except for one thing. God supplies the direction and the power to do His will. Therefore, we simply have to trust Him and decide to do His will as we know it. Yes, we will fail, but we confess it and move on. Each time we succeed we will become stronger, until we can finally live out our calling as a Christian. I pray that is the goal for each of us. It is not important for you to do it because I say it, but because each of us will stand before the Lord and give an account of our lives to the Lord. At that point maturity will prove to be vital.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 28-29 and Acts 13:1-25.
God's goal for each of His children is that we reach maturity. Maturity is defined different ways, but I like the definition I learned for the Greek word for maturity. That definition says that to be mature is to begin to do what you were designed to do in life. An apple tree becomes mature when it bears the first apples. A Christian becomes mature, when he or she stops talking about what God wants them to do and starts doing it. There are a lot of believers who know what to do. The thing they lack is the maturity to do it. That is what God is looking for.
Now, it would be impossible except for one thing. God supplies the direction and the power to do His will. Therefore, we simply have to trust Him and decide to do His will as we know it. Yes, we will fail, but we confess it and move on. Each time we succeed we will become stronger, until we can finally live out our calling as a Christian. I pray that is the goal for each of us. It is not important for you to do it because I say it, but because each of us will stand before the Lord and give an account of our lives to the Lord. At that point maturity will prove to be vital.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 28-29 and Acts 13:1-25.