Becoming Spiritually Mature

            I don’t know about you, but I have desperately wanted to be spiritually mature. Many days when I fail to read my Bible or spend enough time with God or  pray enough or give enough or I miss church one week, I beat myself up believing that God will never use me and I’ll never be a good enough Christian.

            Problem number one with that belief is that I, nor you, can do anything to earn or lose God’s love. He freely gave that to us, but despite knowing this truth, there are days I feel like this. I’ve been a Christian for years; so, I should be extremely spiritually mature doing all of this stuff such as praying for an hour a day, reading my entire Bible every year, and memorizing countless amounts of scriptures, right?

            Well, this weekend, I learned the major problem with this belief about spiritual maturity. What I’ve been taught spiritual maturity involves is actually wrong. Being spiritually mature doesn’t mean that we go to church 3 times a week and are involved with every activity known to man at church, nor does it mean we are the best at reading our Bible (though we need to know God’s Word). Where in the Bible does it say going to a church building three times a week makes you spiritually mature? I was asked that question this weekend and couldn’t figure out where that statement was.

            The teacher, Greg, reminded me of a truth that has been covered over by skewed views of the Bible in my life; a spiritually mature Christian is someone who reflects God well. How do we know if we are reflecting God well? We examine whether or not our lives are marked by the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (NIV, Galatians 5:22).  

            Instead of evaluating yourself on how much you do, look at your spirit. Are you loving people well? Is your life marked by joy (being content always) and peace? Are you kind and gentle to even the vilest person? Is your life marked by unwavering faith in God?

            What fruits of the Spirit do you possess? Which ones do you need to cultivate?

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas