Good Morning Friends,
Samuel’s mother left him at the temple as a
young boy to serve under the priest, Eli. He served well and took what he did
seriously. The Bible says, “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 says, “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 can be applied to a person’s
spiritual life. 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, knowledge of the Lord,
and commitment to the Lord did not stay at the level which his mother taught
him as a 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. 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 fine for those who are
new in a relationship with Jesus. But spiritual immaturity should be temporary and
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.
You may be growing physically, emotionally and
mentally, but the most important question is: Are you growing spiritually?
His, by Grace, Steve
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