“Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT)
How do we know if we’re growing in our relationship with Jesus? What evidence or characteristics begin to surface that weren’t present in our life before we met Him? Are those in our families and other spheres of influence noticing, asking questions that lead us to believe our life in Christ is really evident to anyone else? Are people asking us to pray for them, counsel them in times of trouble, asking for our advice, or in other ways giving us indication that they value our opinion?
Maturity isn’t a bad word in the Christian Faith, yet, in reality, it’s something that we will work a literal lifetime to approximate. Of course, there are immediate steps we can take to get us started on our journey to a mature faith, but here’s the truth – no one arrives at full spiritual maturity this side of eternity. To believe otherwise is to believe a lie! How do I know that?
Elyse Fitzpatrick points to a critical truth when she writes: “Maturity in the Christian life is measured by only one test: how much closer to His character have we become?” Our goal from start to finish is to grow in our likeness of Jesus, yet, on this side of eternity, that goal will never be fully reached. Does that mean others won’t recognize His likeness in our life? If we’re truly born again of the Spirit, of course they will, but Jesus was and is perfect in every aspect and dimension of His life and has a oneness with the Father that we will only approximate in this life.
Here’s what I’m learning. If we want to grow to be more like Jesus, we will. We’ll become His students in learning to pray, read, understand, memorize, and share His Word; in loving Him, the Father, the Holy Spirit and others to His honor and fame. We’ll grow in our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world regardless of what “brand” of Christianity they follow, but here’s a critical element we too often forget: we’ll learn to listen well!
Yes, of course, be careful and discerning, because just because someone professes something, doesn’t always mean they’re living it. There are cults and very liberal denominations and groups who profess to be “Christian”, but don’t display His character in the way they love and live. To profess Truth but not live it is worse than not knowing the Truth at all. Jesus IS TRUTH incarnate, so that becomes our goal in every avenue of our life. Not simply to know the truth, but to exhibit it in the way we speak, act, and live.
What does “living the Truth” mean in practical terms? It essentially means if God’s Word says it’s true, it’s true and we should seek to obey and follow it in our lives. For example, Hebrews 12:14 says: “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” Living a “holy life” literally means to live a life that is set apart for sacred use and purpose; be an exclusive agent of the Lord whom He can choose at any second to do anything He desires for us to do. But how would we ever know what that is or what He would want us to do?
We learn to listen well. Jesus said in John 10:27: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” When we love someone, we not only hear their words, we listen to their heart. The longer we walk with Jesus the more in tune with His heart we will be. Maturity doesn’t necessarily have to do with how much we know or even how much we obey, but how closely we listen. Mature believers in Jesus begin to look and act more like Him the more intently they learn to listen…and obey!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
