We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.  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 righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.  Hebrews 5:11-14 NIV

If you went into a restaurant and the man sitting next to you did not order food but instead pulled out a baby bottle full of milk and started drinking it, you would be a little concerned I’m sure.  We don’t expect adults to behave like infants right?  If you went into a meeting in your place of employment and your colleague didn’t get his or her way and in turn laid down on the floor and began kicking and screaming, you would be worried about them I’m sure.

As adults we are expected to act like adults.  It doesn’t mean that we all act like adults, but we are expected to do so.  Now first of all, let me say that I am not judging. I love swinging on the big swing in the park, playing on the merry go round, and see-sawing as much as your average child does.  I think that growing up is highly overrated.  I long to go back to a time when my parents handled everything and all I had to do was play and go to school.  That was great!  But as Christians, it’s a different story.  You see when we are first called to salvation, we are like babies in Christ.  We are learning all about our newfound Christianity.  We are learning to talk like Christians and learning to walk like Christians.  We are new creatures in Christ and we are finding our way.  We used to have horses and I never wanted to see the whole birthing process thing, but I loved watching a new colt try out its legs.  They start out all wobbly and unsure and they begin to walk around.  They drink their mother’s milk and they grow strong and before you know it, they are running across the field.  It is actually a beautiful process to watch.  Well, that’s how we are as Christians, we start out on wobbly legs that need to be strengthened. We need to grow strong.  We need to pray and spend time in God’s word.  We need to spend time with fellow Christians that can help us grow in God’s love.  When we do this it helps us to become strong, mature Christians.

Now when we don’t do this, it’s a whole other story.  When we don’t do this we are much like the adults drinking milk at the restaurant and kicking and screaming in a staff meeting.  How often do you see someone go to church for a while, get baptized and never change how they behave?  Or perhaps they go to church for a while, get baptized and then just slack off and quit going to church?  You see when we try to get close to God the devil wants to drive a wedge between us.  He wants us to back away from the church.  And if we get baptized, the devil really goes to work.  He wants to destroy our witness.  He wants our friends who knew we were baptized to look at us and say, “wow is that really how a Christian person acts?”

So have you accepted Christ as your savior?  If you have, have you followed through with training and being fed God’s word?  Or did you just get baptized and put a check beside that task and consider it done?  If you haven’t accepted Christ as your savior,  then I invite you to consider a life with Christ.  If you have accepted Christ as your savior then I hope you are growing.  When we are truly saved then growing in God’s word and prayer and fellowship with other Christians is a wonderful experience.

Becoming an adult isn’t so much fun, it means more responsibility.  Becoming a mature Christian is great because it means walking closer with God.  It means discovering what our gifts are and using them as He has called us to do. It means helping others to understand how great a life with Christ can be.

So today whether you need to become a mature adult and need to come to God for complete maturity or whether you are a baby Christian that needs to grow, I encourage you to take God’s hand and let Him lead you. You will be so glad you did.  And whatever you do, be watchful.  The devil wants to destroy your witness.  Don’t let him do it.

Have a great day!