Growing in Christ

As teachers, ministers, and parents we have witnessed the below scenario.

A baby, a child, that is very "needy." He is crying. He is whining. He is unconsolable. He wants your undivided attention and will do anything he can to get it. You are trying. You are frustrated. You want him to understand that he will be okay. As you are helping him you remember that he is just a baby, a child and really does not know any better. Fast forward until he is an adult. He is poised. He is good-looking. He is educated. When you are around him, he is silly. He acts stupid. He is an adult but acts like a child. He is immature. He knows better. As we look at these scenarios, it is easy to complain about each one. Think about it on a spiritual level. Think about how God views us as Christians. Are we babies? Not really knowing any better? or are we the adult acting like a child in Christ?

I want to look at two different scriptures this week. The first is Ephesians 4:14-16. It says " We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by the wind of teaching and by the cunning and crafitness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." The second passage is Matthew 22:37-39. It says " Jesus replied, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is this...love you neighbor as yourself."

I want to focus on the scripture in Matthew. The first commandment is to love God. How do we love God? We love God by having a personal relationship with Him. We love God by reading His Word and remembering it. We love God by praying. The second commandment is to love our neighbor. To love others. How do we love others? We love others through service. We can serve by teaching kids their Bible lesson on Sundays, we serve by volunteering at our child's school, we serve by offering dinner to a friend. The main thing to notice is that neither one of these can be done without the other. We can not love others without loving God first. We can not love God without loving others. When we are growing into maturity with Christ, we will be doing both. We will be loving God. We will be loving others.

What does this look like to you? Are you growing into full maturity in Christ?