Get the appGlobal Pan(dem)ic & a Sound Faith (Part 2): A 4-Day Maturity CheckSample
One of the best ways to evaluate maturity is to look for evidence. But how? We certainly can’t measure salvation by our actions. If perfection were the mark of spiritual maturity, we would permanently lack assurance. Instead, we find salvation assurance in what God has to say about our eternal life in His Word. This is our confidence in crisis.
But we can measure our progress to maturity. Growth to spiritual maturity depends on the Spirit’s increasing control and production of His fruit in our lives. We merely provide the willingness, and He mightily provides the power for spiritual progress.
Will you study the nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22? A dictionary is good enough to convict us of our failures. Look up biblical cross-references to Galatians 5:22 and its parts. You will easily be able to come up with personal applications. Ask yourself, “In the midst of a long, drawn-out crisis, do I exhibit:
Love—rather than pride, selfishness, hatred
Joy—rather than discontent, grumbling, ingratitude
Peace—rather than anxiety, worry, panic
Patience—rather than impatience, irritability, exasperation
Kindness—rather than meanness, harshness, unforgiveness
Goodness—rather than wickedness, evil, immorality
Faithfulness—rather than unreliability, infidelity, posturing
Gentleness—rather than rudeness, divisiveness, bitterness
Self-control—rather than greed, hedonism, narcissism?”
Highlight any words that may convict you, and invite God’s Holy Spirit to empower you with the will and the wisdom to overcome the temptation to yield to sin. He will “adult” you.
Trinitarian Christianity passes the tests of trials. This kind of faith leads to a meaningful life devoted to the glory of God the Father, in the name of the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is for your good and the good of every Christ-lover-believer-follower.
We adapted this plan from another resource. To read the entire article, click here or learn more from Dr. Ramesh Richard here.
About this Plan
In the second installment of a three-part series, Dr. Ramesh Richard, president of RREACH (a Global Proclamation Ministry) and professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, offers additional thoughts on how adversity and disruption provide not only an "Identity Check" (Part 1), but also a "Maturity Check" for the Believer. Ultimately, there is freedom in living our lives under the shadow and the empowerment of our Trinitarian Christian Faith.
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