The Process of Christian Maturity

Christian maturity is a process of becoming more fully the persons God intended us to be when He created us. Through spiritual disciplines such as daily Scripture reading, prayer, corporate worship, fasting, and journaling we are released from and release our grip on all those things that inhibit our growth. The crooked places within us straighten; we become more alive, more joy-filled, more real. Our growth in maturity as Christians begins as we accept the redemptive work of Christ on the cross for us. We say "yes" to God, who through Jesus' work on the cross has already spoken the huge "YES" to humankind, despite our broken sinfulness.

Engaging in the work of spiritual disciplines is a continuation of that dialogue with God. It is an acknowledgment of our total dependence on Him, our continuing need for Him to infuse us with His Spirit, of drawing us ever onward into eternal life.

Some people fear that engaging in spiritual disciplines will detract from the fullness of the lives they now live. By drawing closer to God, they fear a loss of self, of fun, of reality itself. Those who have begun in earnest a journey with God can testify that just the opposite is true. As we draw ever closer to the source of life, we become more solidly real. Priorities are clarified. A secure sense of belonging to God allows us to love others without the need to shape them to our wills and desires. Unholy appetites and habits no longer satisfy or fill us as we turn to the welcoming arms of the all-powerful Healer. Paul put it this way when he was writing to the Ephesians: "May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep, how high His love really is... so at last you are filled up with God Himself" (Ephesians 3:17-19 LB).

The challenge is for each of us to honestly assess before God where we are in this life forming God shaped journey. Praise God that He has placed us in a community of fellow travelers as we do this. Allow others to speak into your life, to agree or disagree with your sense of place, then commit to one another to engage in specific, life forming disciplines. Through small groups, Adult Bible Fellowship (ABF) classes, and one-on-one mentoring there are many other opportunities to accept this life creating challenge. Becoming the person God created you to be is holy work - work with eternal consequences.