When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.  1 Corinthians 13:11 NASB

Consider it all joy my, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  James 1:2-4 NASB

Over the last few days, I have had the wonderful opportunity to spend some fun times with the teenagers in my family. I spent several days with three nieces, ages 15, 15 turning 16 next month, and 18. The only problem with these girls is that they are all beautiful. This means that we had to keep a close eye on them especially being in Times Square in New York City. But, we had some wonderful times. These young ladies are beautiful inside and out. I also got to spend time with my soon to be daughter in law, and I’ve told you many times before what a beautiful person she is. So, there were five of us that were older, in the 40 plus age group, some established in their careers and some of us retired. But, my nieces were still in high school and one is just starting college. They have their whole lives in front of them. My future daughter in law has graduated from college and established in her career and has recently received a promotion. I am so proud of her. I looked at the younger girls and thought how awesome it must be to have your whole life in front of you. They are at this point where they can truly be whatever they want to be.

Doesn’t that sound wonderful? But, we too can face that choice no matter our age. You see, each day we must decide whether we want to follow Jesus or allow the devil to win us over with his temptations. Now once we make a firm commitment to follow Jesus, we must grow in His love. We must grow in His word and His truth. We must grow as a Christian. Our above scripture passage from 1 Corinthians says that when we grow up we put away childish things. Now let me say that I have lived by the motto that I don’t want to grow up. I think growing up is way overrated. Just the other day I was telling my niece as she was complaining about something that her parents did or did not want her to do that she should brace herself because it only gets worse as you grow. You then have to face things like paying rent or a mortgage, utility bills, insurance, and the list goes on. While we are teenagers and can’t wait to get out of our parent’s house and out of their control, facing these financial demands make our parent’s house look pretty good.  If you think about it, your parents pay for everything and they keep you safe, right? God provides for our every need when we trust in Him and keeps us safe.

Now, as Christians, it actually gets better as we grow because God is growing us up to perfection. He is doing a work in us which He will bring to completion on the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

Now there is always a catch, right? So, here it is. If you want to be a mature Christian, you must give up childish things. You must give up things like bitterness, anger, brawling and slander, and every kind of malice (Ephesians 4:31). As Christians, we are told in Ephesians 4:32 that we must be kind to one another and be tenderhearted and forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven us.

There is nothing appealing about a 40 year old throwing a temper tantrum. In working with adult offenders on probation or parole, I saw a lot of people that had never grown up. They had never accepted responsibility for their own actions. They had never faced the reality that they were wrong and it wasn’t that the whole world was against them. Often times they had parents that blamed every one else in the world except their precious child. I saw a lot of people who had never grown up and this had been their downfall.

We, like plants, puppies, and every other creature were made to grow. We were made to grow not only physically but spiritually. When we don’t drink our spiritual milk (1 Peter 2:2-3), we fail to grow. God provides His word, He is there for us, He is there to guide us and to help us grow up into mature Christians.

My trip to New York brought joy and a touch of sadness. You see this trip to NYC at Christmas time was something that my mom and I enjoyed each year for many years, but now she is unable to go. She is nearing her perfection in the Lord. So, while it may appear that she is going backwards in her health, her movement, and her speech, she is actually moving forward so that God may complete the perfect work in her that he begun many years ago. She may be facing some temporary trials right now, but God is working in her. She has been so instrumental in my spiritual growth and I thank God every day for the guidance she provided me and our family and the many others that knew her and had her as a Sunday School teacher.

Know today that you can become better as you grow. Know that as long as we live, we should never stop growing in Christ so that He can bring us to perfection in Him so that we will be ready for our eternal home in heaven. Trust in Him today. If you have already trusted Christ as your Savior then enter into a deep loving relationship with Him. And don’t forget to drink your spiritual milk and put away your childish things. You will only get better as you grow.

Have a great day!