Discerning My Spiritual Maturity
How self-focused is your life?
Verse of the Day
“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.”
Today’s Devotional
Today’s and tomorrow’s verses come from a section of Hebrews called “A Call to Spiritual Growth” in the NLT or “A Warning Against Falling Away” in the NIV. The section, which starts in chapter 5, is a call to continue to grow your faith and knowledge, as well as many warnings about spiritual immaturity.
So let me just stop right there and confess that maturity of any kind is not my strong suit. But having said that, I do believe that the more time I spend in the Word, and writing about the Word, and praying for God’s conviction about the Word (and the actions I need to take), the more peaceful and grounded I feel in my relationship with God. Even on my hard days.
This verse is calling us to diligence. But diligent in what? Well, I think the New Living Translation of this verse answers that question. ‘Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. ‘
We called to be diligent in our love for others. We are called to continue to do whatever increases our knowledge of God’s love for us so that it fills our life and overflows onto those around us. We are told to love others for as long as we live, in a way that points people to Jesus. So how do I do that?
I’m going to back up a little to the verses that precede today’s verse where it talks about spiritual immaturity. The warning is against being spiritual infants. I found this information about spiritual infancy quite fascinating. One commentary posed several questions about how to discern if I may be spiritually immature:
-Is my Christian life unstable in any way? Am I consistent in my desire for deeper learning from God and putting those lessons into action?
-Am I divisive at all in my Christian life? Do I allow others to have differing opinions about non-essential matters in a peaceful, living manner?
-Am I getting all of my spiritual learning from any one human source? (For example, only listening to one pastor/preacher as opposed to my own time in the Word, and learning from a variety of human teachers and authors.)
-Am I spiritually asleep? Do I even notice what God is doing? Am I on auto-plot?
-Am I cranky and irritable with others? (Ouch…) If I am, then I am not acting in a loving manner and something needs to change.
Ultimately, we are being called to a radical “others-focused” life. We are called to be diligent in this approach to life. And I have to be honest, the thought of being diligent right now makes me want to take a nap. I want to say, “God, how much more do you need from me?” But I already know the answer. As long as I remain willing and teachable, God will supply the needed power for this type of living. Because when I look back at the list of questions to expose my immaturity, I realize that if I am being immature in my faith, it’s because it is still all about me. And that is convicting. It’s the ultimate revelation that I am being called to set down any remaining selfishness and live a life of service and love.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What are your answers for the questions about spiritual immaturity?
In what aspects of a life of selfless Christian love do you lack diligence?
Where do you still see selfishness or self-focus in your life?
What can you do today to be more focused on the needs of others?
How can you be more filled with the love of God today so that love will pour out in those around you?