Hebrews 5:12 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!

There are many pastors who could say this to their congregations. That said, there are many pastors who aren’t really very spiritually mature, either! I would dare to say, in most churches there is at least one believer who is closer to Christ than the pastor is. We need both humility and the desire to press in for more of Christ. Physical maturity is more or less automatic over time. Exceptions to that are considered medical problems. However, emotional and spiritual maturity are entirely different matters. This isn’t just a matter of knowledge, though information is important. Rather, it is a matter of internalizing God’s truth so that we not only understand it, we live it out. As James famously said, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) English translations of this verse tend to say, “by this time,” but the Japanese is even more blunt: “by the number of years.” There are people who have been church members since childhood who have the spiritual maturity of a preschooler! That is sad not only for the individual but for everyone who relates to them. When we know the Gospel and have the full Bible at our disposal, we have no legitimate excuse not to grow spiritually. The rate of growth will not be even throughout life; we all have “growth spurts.” The painful truth is that it is generally crises that produce those spurts, because God allows situations to cause us to confront our lack of spiritual maturity. God never picks on us, but sometimes we need a real kick in the seat to get us moving as we should be. As it says later in Hebrews, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11) That’s why we need to “Give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20) Whatever it feels like in the moment, it is ultimately for our good!

This is something that, naturally enough, I have realized more and more over the years. I have also noticed that spiritual maturity only has a minor connection to physical age. I’ve met plenty of immature seniors, and I’ve met some remarkably mature young people as well. I’m not to go around with some sort of “maturity meter,” evaluating the people with whom I interact, but I am to allow the Holy Spirit to give me insight as to the maturity level of each individual, so that I may meet them where they are and encourage them to come up higher. And of course, I must remember that I’m not “perfectly mature” myself! I too am constantly running into situations that offend my immaturity, forcing me to turn to God. That’s a good thing! Yesterday’s church barbecue party was one such, because I was less than gracious a couple of times when we were setting up and later, taking down the large tent I had borrowed for the occasion. Likewise, this morning someone will be coming to talk, once again presenting their side of a situation, when I recently got to hear, for the first time, the other side of the story. I feel caught in the middle, but that too is forcing me to depend on God. I don’t have the wisdom to bring about a good resolution, but God does, and this is further training in depending on Him. I desire growth and maturity in my flock, so I must not run from it myself! There are many things on the schedule today, and I’m not to be anxious about any of them. Rather, I’m to rest, relax, and rejoice in my Lord, just as He has told me to do, so that His plans may be fulfilled on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for getting us through the day yesterday. Thank You that the rain that had been forecast for this afternoon doesn’t seem to be coming after all. Help me rejoice to be Your agent in everything today, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!