MATURITY IN CHRIST
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
Maturing in Christ is much like finally growing up in life...some of us are very late bloomers! In fact growing season is almost gone for another year and some of us still are trying to produce buds. The Christian live is another term used for being married to God...being linked in a relationship where we have made a promise an all powerful God.
The Father loves us and He wants to redeem us from the world, and yet I also believe that He is very tired of our games, and deceit. Let's face it keeping a good relationship with God is much like trying to keep a good relationship with your wife, Husband, or best friend. We have to make time for God in our lives at all costs. The real values of what we feel within our heart toward God is always seen in the amount of time we spend cultivating our love relationship with Him. In that kind of relationship I have found that it is not how much money you spend on someone, but how much of yourself you spend on them that really counts. Instead of trying to appease your own soul by thinking that you have to give more in tithes and offerings I think we would do very well to simply give more of ourselves to God on a daily basis...and I believe the rest will actually take care of itself.
If we really love God in the ways we have stated that we do there is no room for selfishness because love is not selfish or prideful; it is not possessive, it does not lie or cause pain, and it is not take always, but is willing to give even more than it receives. Maturity in Christ also means much the same thing as we learn in any marriage...and that is we need to leave behind that old life and create a new one with Christ. This "leave and cleave" concept is very important down the road because at some point we will be asked to God with God or stay with this world...we cannot have both.
In maturity in Christ I believe there is a real problem for many in bringing their expectations in Christ in line with their own reality. While we are slowly being perfected we are not there yet, and God knows it. Praise the Lord that He is perfect in every way and can handle all of our doubt and failure with love. Maturity in Christ means that we grow enough to trust Him when He tells us something...of course that starts when we start to really listen to what He is saying to us. We cannot be jealous and trusting at the same time, and we need to understand the boundaries we need to build within us. It is so easy to want more and more in our relationship with God, but for all of the wrong reasons. I have found that contentment with what God has given me to be a good steward of is very important. " Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread" Proverbs 30:8. Christian maturity is realizing that the race is a marathon that you run everyday, and the real prize is won by going the distance. John 16:33 tells us : "In the world you shall have tribulation;but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world". May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
Maturing in Christ is much like finally growing up in life...some of us are very late bloomers! In fact growing season is almost gone for another year and some of us still are trying to produce buds. The Christian live is another term used for being married to God...being linked in a relationship where we have made a promise an all powerful God.
The Father loves us and He wants to redeem us from the world, and yet I also believe that He is very tired of our games, and deceit. Let's face it keeping a good relationship with God is much like trying to keep a good relationship with your wife, Husband, or best friend. We have to make time for God in our lives at all costs. The real values of what we feel within our heart toward God is always seen in the amount of time we spend cultivating our love relationship with Him. In that kind of relationship I have found that it is not how much money you spend on someone, but how much of yourself you spend on them that really counts. Instead of trying to appease your own soul by thinking that you have to give more in tithes and offerings I think we would do very well to simply give more of ourselves to God on a daily basis...and I believe the rest will actually take care of itself.
If we really love God in the ways we have stated that we do there is no room for selfishness because love is not selfish or prideful; it is not possessive, it does not lie or cause pain, and it is not take always, but is willing to give even more than it receives. Maturity in Christ also means much the same thing as we learn in any marriage...and that is we need to leave behind that old life and create a new one with Christ. This "leave and cleave" concept is very important down the road because at some point we will be asked to God with God or stay with this world...we cannot have both.
In maturity in Christ I believe there is a real problem for many in bringing their expectations in Christ in line with their own reality. While we are slowly being perfected we are not there yet, and God knows it. Praise the Lord that He is perfect in every way and can handle all of our doubt and failure with love. Maturity in Christ means that we grow enough to trust Him when He tells us something...of course that starts when we start to really listen to what He is saying to us. We cannot be jealous and trusting at the same time, and we need to understand the boundaries we need to build within us. It is so easy to want more and more in our relationship with God, but for all of the wrong reasons. I have found that contentment with what God has given me to be a good steward of is very important. " Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread" Proverbs 30:8. Christian maturity is realizing that the race is a marathon that you run everyday, and the real prize is won by going the distance. John 16:33 tells us : "In the world you shall have tribulation;but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world". May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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