Maturity

Wisdom in Christ

We can see how the heart of the Apostle Paul beat with tender affection and deep concern for his Colossian readers (v. 1). He longed that they might present a united front to the enemy, and that they might fully mature and appreciate the mystery of the Godhead which he was expl …

The Rebuke of Immaturity

This is exactly the situation with these Hebrew Christians. They had been going through the same experience, again and again, all the years of their Christian life, but had never grown. In this passage, the writer makes it very clear that age will never, in itself, bring Spiritual …

Prayer Requested

Acts of kindness and sharing are particularly pleasing to God, even when they go unnoticed by others (vv. 15-16). The task of church leaders is to help people to mature in Christ. Cooperative followers greatly ease the burden of leadership (v. 17). We find the writer emphasizing …

Three categories of believers

In our text today, John points out three categories of believers. We see in these categories three stages of spiritual development in our quest for spiritual maturity. The three stages of Christian growth are children, fathers, and young men (vv. 12-14). I do not believe these ca …

IllustrationMeasuring height on the cellar door

Under the house where I grew up, on the farm, we had a celler (Not a basement) with a dirt floor where my mother stored all the fruits and vegetables we had raised for the winter. On the cellar side of the door, my mother would periodically have me stand with my back to the door …

IllustrationQualification For Promotion

I read of a principal in a high school who had an administrative post to fill. He promoted one of his teachers with ten years of teaching experience to the job. When the announcement was made, another teacher in this school came to him terribly upset. She said, “Why did you …

IllustrationThe size of a shark is determined by its environment

I met a young man not long ago who dives for exotic fish for aquariums. He told me that one of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. He explained that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium you put it in. Sharks can be …

IllustrationHow to Know Your Maturity Level

“Your maturity level in life depends on your being tender with the young, patient with the old, sympathetic with the striving, tolerant with the weak and the strong, because someday in life you will have been all of these.” (Source: George Washington Carver). …