God Created us to Be Loved, to Belong, and to Become.

We have a Purpose, that is a Calling.

The Bible often compares the process of becoming like Christ to the experience of running a race. It is not a short-distance dash. It is a lifelong marathon. We are not intended to stay in spiritual immaturity, but to grow up.

Hebrews 12:1, the Living Bible

“Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.”

PRINCIPLES FOR THE MARATHON OF MATURITY.

I need to...

1. Simplify my life.

We don't want any burden getting in the way of the finish line to the "particular race God has set before us."

You can't run the race someone else wants for you or the race you want for yourself and the race God has set out for you at the same time. You must let go of the weights of someone else's expectations.

2. Don't get impatient or in a hurry.

Growth needs to be measured and stable. When God grows a mushroom, He takes 6 hours. When He grows and oak tree, He takes 60 years. Too many people have expected spiritual maturity to happen quickly and have become discouraged and give up when it doesn't happen that way.

3. Spend time focusing on Jesus every day.

Hebrews 12:2, the Living Bible
“Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor.”

You become like who you spend time with. "You can't soar with eagles when you're running with the turkeys."

It was a habit of Jesus to spend time with His Father God in prayer.

The more time you spend reading the Bible and studying Jesus, the more you’ll learn His character, love, peace, patience.

2 Corinthians 3:18, the Living Bible

“We can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.”

Maturity is a step by step process. There is no instant maturity. God is never in a hurry. When we reflect the character of Jesus we become like him.

There is a neurological basis for this transformation. Mirror neurons in our brain 'mimic' what we observe. Mirror neurons make sympathy and empathy possible.

In the Marathon to Maturity in Christlikeness...

4. Remember the Reward when it gets hard.

God will use all the ups and downs of life taking us through the same things that Jesus experienced in order to build our character. Instead of questioning 'why?' something is happening, we need to ask 'What?' God wants me to learn from this.

Jesus was made complete through suffering. Earthly life is the time for learning. Heaven is the place where there is no more sorrow, suffering, sadness and difficulty. Life is to prepare our character for heaven.

We have short-term problems on earth for long-term glory in heaven.

Life is hard because this isn’t heaven. Everything on earth is broken. It's not the way God intended it to be. Yet, there are moments of joy on earth. There are times things are going great, but everything requires work. We’re developing our character which is the only thing we take w/us into eternity.

In the Marathon to Maturity in Christlikeness...

5. Gather a team to run with me.

An African proverb says: “To run fast run by yourself. To run far run with other people.”

In the Marathon to Maturity in Christlikeness...

6. Remember God is cheering me at every stage.

Too many people mistakenly think God only likes us when we get things right or get to maturity. Nobody shames a baby for not being able to read, or a ten year old who cannot balance a checkbook or drive a car. God sees us through the finished work of Christ. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Living in shame wastes our energy on self-pretense and keeps us from humbly pursuing God's purpose for us.

Parents cheer their children from the beginning and throughout their foot race.

God is not withholding His support until we reach the finish line. He is cheering us all the way. He created us. He believes in us. He wants us in His family. We belong to Him.

In the Marathon to Maturity in Christlikeness...

7. Take every step with purpose.

We won't be able to do everything everybody else does. We can't follow their plan and God's plan at the same time. Champions give up lots to become winners--eating only certain things, keeping a strict schedule, and exercising discipline. We can't just "tack on" some of God's ideas to whatever we want to do for ourselves. We need to choose to follow God's plan.

To get where God is leading you need to keep walking.

Don’t take side trips or short cuts. We need to stay on the straight path because we’ve all got some lameness. In the race of life we all run with a limp. We all have brokenness that we’re dealing with and every path that is not straight will only cause us to stumble and fall on our journey.

What I don’t get finished in becoming like Jesus here, God will finally finish for me. We all struggle and stumble and maybe even get sidelined, but the race of life is not over.

God is taking His time and He’s cheering us on and He will complete what He started when we trust Him. That’s Why We’re Here on Earth.