Hebrews 5:13-14 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Back in the middle ’70s there was a Christian song by Amy Grant called Fat Baby that was about this very issue. Barring medical problems, physical maturity is automatic over time. Emotional and spiritual maturity, however, are much less so. Being a baby seems to have advantages to some people, so their delayed or even arrested development is essentially their choice. I visit a mental hospital every week, and there are some patients I would put into that category, because they have no will to mature. Spiritually speaking, I would say that the problem is even more widespread. There are lots of church members who want to be bottle or spoon fed, and resist efforts to teach them how to feed themselves. That’s just as pathetic as the people in the mental hospital! The writer here is pointing out that the path to maturity is very simply, daily living. It is by our responses to our circumstances that we determine whether we will be matured by them or simply wounded by them. Everyone has “close calls” of one sort or another. If we choose to learn from them, we will be better able to avoid them in the future. If we don’t learn, then the next time we might “go over the edge,” experiencing real disaster. Spiritually, there are benefits to maturity that are unimagined by the immature, because intimacy with God, developed through obedience, brings peace and joy that are unshakable.

Sometimes I have people indicate that they wish they were like me. I am not to draw back from that, any more than Paul did, (1 Corinthians 4:16) but I have to make it clear that what is called for is faithfulness in daily living. You can’t attend a seminar and gain instant maturity! I do need to make maturity as attractive as possible, to help people in their motivation. I am not to draw back from admonishing and correcting, but I need to maintain relationships that allow for that. And of course, I am never to think I have “arrived,” any more than Paul did, (Philippians 3:12-14) but keep pressing in faithfully myself.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the various training opportunities You’re giving each of us in this church. Some are where they are by choice, but most of us have just stumbled into our particular training camps. For some, it’s exciting, for some it’s exhausting, and for some it’s downright frightening. I ask Your grace for each one. Help me be both the roll model and the encourager You want me to be, shepherding and nurturing the flock as You intend, so that we may all grow in Your grace for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!