Hebrews 5:12-14 NIV
“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Hebrews 6:1 NIV
“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity….”
Additional Scripture References: Psalms 119:9-16 NIV 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Samuel 16:13 NIV, 1 Samuel 16:18, 1 Samuel 17:15, 1 Samuel 17:38-40 NIV
Have you ever tried to run a long distance? If you have, you know that it requires real and consistent training to achieve your goal. No matter what your intention, without training, you may find it difficult to arrive at the finish line. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. In the same way, our journey of faith is one of endurance. Training at every stage of our development is important. Time does not dictate maturity, but our training will. You can be old and immature, and young and mature. It’s not about arriving, but simply starting. We can trust that God will give us everything we need at the time that we need it. We’re not delayed, we’re destined!
If you want to win the battles of life you need training.
Our becoming comes from our believing. Do you believe that you’re called? That you’re chosen? That you’re cared for by God? Securing our identity in Christ allows us to develop and mature with him. If we don’t know who we are, we will never know who we can be. You’re not like the world, you’re not like everyone else, you’re not missing out.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. [1 Peter 2:9]
You are called and chosen by God. You are anointed but may not yet be appointed. Maturity prepares you to steward what God has called you to. An untrained David could never beat Goliath. He was able to fight appropriately because he had trained for years. Spiritual maturity is the process of becoming more Christ-like in character, attitude and behavior. You can’t go where God’s taking you without maturing along the way.
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” [1 Samuel 16:7]
Availability unlocks the door of maturity in our lives. King Saul was supposed to fight but David made himself available for growth. His willingness to embrace the season he found himself in and make himself available to be developed allowed him to step up when he was called upon. Are you open to maturity? Are you open to growth? Are you open to change? The world will try to put on fear, insecurity, and failure. Pick up courage, security, and peace. God’s strength is with you as you daily surrender to Him.
Reflect this week on how you are investing your time to mature. Commit to spend time in one of these 5 areas:
Be prepared to share your experience at Crew next time!
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Growth Track
After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack
You’re invited to worship night with new VOUS Worship music! All are welcome.
Sunday, May 26
6:00PM
VOUS SoMi + VOUS City
We’re less than 50 days away from VOUSCon! Gather with thousands of like-minded leaders. Be equipped and empowered for the journey ahead.
June 20-22
Miami, FL
As we create an atmosphere that glorifies God, we create space for Him to move. As servant leaders, we carry the culture. Because we value Con, we invest in it.