Maturity for the Missionنموونە
How Do You Measure Maturity?
Have you ever had an experience where the Lord clearly told you to do something that was the complete opposite of what you really wanted to do? I can recall a time with my dear friend and the Lord clearly told me that I couldn’t go to an event due to the guest list and the impact that it could have on my witness as a Christian. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I could still go and “evangelize” to the group (Ha! Who was I fooling?), I had to obey what the Lord was clearly calling me to do. See, spiritual maturity isn’t measured by your biblical knowledge – it is measured by your response time to the Lord. Especially when it goes against the craving of the flesh.
The mission that God has called us to requires a level of maturity that this world, the church, doesn’t talk about. Spiritual maturity in the church is often equated to spiritual knowledge.
You have to know God wants you to move further and further from your flesh so that you can walk more firmly in the Spirit. That’s the maturity process.
Maturity is being able to say YES to God, even when everything in you wants to say no.
We overlook this kind of maturity because this kind of maturity doesn’t get applause. No one is going to say, "Look at you, serving and leading." They’re not going to see or know that you said yes to a conversation that you didn’t want to have. They’re not going to know that you said no to something that you really wanted to do because you wanted to honor the Lord. That's private growth. It’s where God cultivates something in secret so that when He’s ready to send and display you, you’ll bring Him glory.
Question of The Day: What is your response time to God?
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About this Plan
During this 3-day devotional, Jada discusses the paradox of being on mission for God. The mission God has called us to requires a level of maturity that doesn’t rely on the applause of others. Maturity is not about the amount of knowledge you have or the actions you display. It’s being able to respond immediately to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, especially when it goes against the craving of the flesh.
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