A spiritually mature person is one who holds fast to his identity in Christ and is grounded in God's Word. Spiritual maturity is not exactly an endpoint that you arrive at and are thus, satisfied. Rather, it is about a constant becoming, with Jesus Christ as one's sole vision and greatest delight.
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A spiritually mature person is determined to have nothing to do with his old, corrupt self. (c.f. Eph 4:22-24)
Whenever I chat or spend time with very good friends, "goodbyes" can take a long time - the half-hearted ones. We indicate that the conversation needs to end - that we need to go, run our errands and etc. "Bye..." I say. But the conversation doesn't end just yet. Someone else goes, "By the way...." and then, we talk joyfully about some other stuff, digress, talk some more... and then realise that we were supposed to have parted ways some time ago. "Just 5 minutes more!" another one would beg. In some very rare occasions (so please don't be worried), we end up ditching our original plans so that we can go on enjoying one another's company. Go and have tea or something. Make plans for our next meet-up while we are at it!
Farewells have never been my forte. I've had to cry myself to sleep for many nights after certain farewells - including mom's demise in 2001. I am sentimental that way. Recently, I thought that I'd begin preparing myself - mentally and emotionally - for the deaths or departures (of any kind) of those dear to my heart. Why? Because I know, from experience, that bereavement can be crippling when a farewell is unexpected. The withdrawal symptoms can go on forever... almost. Well, it helps, whenever I know that it won't be a goodbye forever - that we will at least meet again on the other side of eternity.
Speaking of withdrawal symptoms... there are "friends" that we should not hesitate to get rid of, however dramatic the withdrawal symptoms may be. The harmful ones. Those which steal, kill and destroy. I'm not just talking about drugs, alcohol, junk food, and what have you.... but the "earthly" in us. The practices of our old selves. The comfortable, familiar and temporarily pleasurable. How convincingly they sing ~ "...I'll stand by you..."
There is no place for half-hearted farewells when it is such "friends" that we have to turn our backs on.
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"5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator..."
So don't just say goodbye. Put them to death! Be ruthless.
Easier said than done. Realistically, how hard it is to divorce our old selves! And so, a spiritually mature person walks by the Spirit - the only guarantee of life.
Galatians 5:16-24 (NASB, emphasis mine):
"16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
In walking with the Spirit, one takes on the new self (Col 3:10). He bears the fruit of the Spirit.
Spiritual maturity is about fruit-bearing. God's way.
1 comment:
super love it!
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