Until We Reach Maturity

As a little girl I couldn’t wait to be 21. I wanted all of the privileges that came with reaching maturity. To me 21 was the perfect age — an adult, your own boss, free from parental rules. At 6, I remember imitating my mom, trying to act mature like her by crossing my legs and asking to drink coffee.

To be spiritually mature, however, has a set of markers that are not measured by privilege, but by Christlikeness. How would Christ measure maturity in Him? Jesus says to love and obey Him with all of our heart and love others as we would ourselves. Serve others and look out for their interests, not our own. Always do the right thing regardless of personal cost. We should want the Father’s will above our own. To lay down our lives and follow Him, and to allow His Spirit to transform us from the inside out, as counter-intuitive as that sounds to the world.

Paul states our aim is to reach maturity though the using of the spiritual gifts, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. These are given to build the church unti....

In Ephesians 4:13, Paul defines the “until.” The fullness of Christ is the transformation within to know Him and become like Him. We are never fully mature, but are always growing in our knowledge of Christ and in Christlikeness as long as we live. This ongoing transformation toward perfection should be our goal, personally and collectively.

Father, may our posture before you be an invitation for you to continually transform us from the inside out. Make us more like you. Transform our character and help us grow in our knowledge of Christ. Continue to foster unity among us and help us to spur one another on toward growth and maturity. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Go Deeper — It is easy to rationalize our behaviors and settle for where we are at in our spiritual journey. However, Paul reminds us that our aim is spiritual maturity. Are you reading and applying God’s Word daily? Are you asking the Lord to transform you and give you the power to change? Ask the Lord to continually refine you and help you to grow in your knowledge of Jesus.