Good Morning Friends,
The young boy Samuel was left at the temple by his mother to serve under the priest, Eli. He served well and took what he did seriously. The Bible says of him, “And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.” (1 Samuel 2:26)
That statement is very similar to the one made about Jesus as He grew from a boy toward manhood. Luke records, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52)
All parents want their children to grow physically in a natural way. It would be a sad thing for a small child to remain small all of her life. We have the same expectations of emotional and mental growth, too. We expect our children to be emotionally immature when they are young, but not to stay that way through their whole lives. We expect our children to struggle to learn the basic facts about language and math and science and every other subject. No child is born with all of that knowledge, it comes from experience and study. We want our children to grow and learn throughout life.
The same principle applies in a person’s spiritual life, too. Samuel loved the Lord even as a small child. He was taught to do that by his mother. But Samuel’s love for the Lord, his knowledge of the Lord, and his commitment to the Lord did not stay at the level which his mother taught him as a young boy. As he served in the temple under Eli, Samuel learned more about the Lord and developed a deeper love for and commitment to Him. Even Jesus experienced that same kind of growth. It is what God desires of those who come into a relationship with Him. It is what He expects!
Spiritual immaturity is a fine state for those who are new in their relationship with Jesus. But spiritual immaturity should be a temporary state that is gradually removed as we continue in our relationship with the Lord. Spiritual growth is the natural state and should be all through our lives in Christ.
So, you may be growing physically, emotionally and mentally, but the most important question is: Are you growing spiritually?
His, by Grace,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment