Maturity

Maturity: the word that encompasses every facet of our being, spiritual, mental, and physical. Most of us never realize that we "prove" our maturity by how we live our life, speak, think, express ourselves, and interact with others, both God and man.

It's a phenomenon that is the same on all levels of life, spiritual, physical, mental, all facets. It starts out on every level as a "baby" then is supposed to "grow" as we grow in all arenas. Each area that "we are" grows at different speeds based on "instruction, interest, and necessity". Some areas slower and others much quicker, again depending on what's important and "expected", but grow we must like it or not.

Some people think that "I don't care what people say, I can be myself and if people don't like it, tough." Well this is the kind of argument that shows that "maturity" isn't on their minds/hearts.

Anyone who refuses to grow up or mature becomes obvious to all around them.

Of all three arenas for maturity to not take place the worst is in the spiritual one. If we are spiritually "immature" all the other areas will be effected.

All our thoughts, words, and deeds come from our spiritual maturity side. The more lax we are here then the more lax we will be mentally and physically.

Spiritual growth/maturity comes from faith in God's Word: "now faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." No faith, no hearing, no spiritual growth. Don't confuse this with just reading the Word of God, because when we just read without faith to believe/obey then the only scripture we have on our side is "my Word shall not come back void." Reading with only the human intellect and not the Spirit of God, will eliminate the purpose of the Holy Spirit to "remind us and teach us all things that He said." Many people to date just read the Bible and have no more understanding then "the doctrines of man." "God's Word is spirit and it must be discerned spiritually. One of the true reasons for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This is how the Christian "matures." The Holy Spirit also takes us from the "milk of the faith" into the "meat of the faith." If the babe, (both physical and spiritual), doesn't go from milk to real food they are unhealthy and many times perish.

Babe's always ask why, and then to the wrong person. Babe's look to those around them to give them the answer that they need to end the need.

Mature believers ask God first, and not just for the answers but for the grace to go through the situation, glorifying their Father in Heaven.

Spiritual maturity will give grace to:

Control the mind,

Control the mouth,

Control our thoughts,

Control our desires,

Control our hearts "as a man thinks in his heart so is he."

When we interact with others, all facets of maturity is immediately made known to those with whom we interact with. The tone of our expression, (malice, hate, foolishness, anger, putting down, insult, argument, and every foul way), proves to them how mature or immature we are, and spiritually (where we draw our moral compass from) where we are coming from, the influence of God or the devil.

The argument that God doesn't exist to allow for childlike behavior is at best an insult that paints a foolish self portrait.

Everyone starts somewhere as a babe.

Everyone wants to grow up and be respected at some point.

As believers we are instructed to "to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ", thereby becoming the vessel of God to glorify HIs name in all the earth.

This is a real growing maturity that is valuable in every facet that it is expressed in.

Love

J&E inTn