Stunted Growth

Believers should continue to grow spiritually until they reach maturity and then keep on growing until they are called home to be with their Lord.  When a person is born-again and becomes a Saint they are considered babies, or babes in Christ.  His or her spiritual growth isn’t instant but it will happen over time, some quicker others slower.  

When a seed is planted in the ground it doesn’t become a full grown plant overnight, it takes time and attention from the sower and when a child is born, they don’t become adults overnight either, it takes time and attention from the parents.  There are many things that will have to take place over a period of time before they are mature enough to be on their own and considered fully mature adults.  There will be many lessons to be learned and, unlike the plant that needs outside forces to make it grow, such as a caretaker watering and pulling weeds plus the sun and cultivating, a child has decisions and choices to make for themselves along the way to help them to grow into maturity to live a balanced and successful life.

We all have choices to make and responsibilities to perform.  How fast we learn our lessons determines how fast we mature.  The same is true in Christianity, if we learn the lessons we are taught quickly, we will mature faster than someone who has to keep going back to learn the same lesson over and over again.  Christian living takes a lot of learning plus a lot of obedience, transforming, and denying one’s self of many things over a period of time.  It also takes a commitment to honor God as much as possible.  In the spiritual realm, walking in the Spirit and not obeying the desires of the flesh, studying the Word of God and putting what you read into practice will help you grow at a faster rate and mature much quicker.

The big problem we have as Christians is that we are still attached to the flesh and many of us yield to the flesh allowing it to control our thoughts and actions and the choices we make and, in doing so, we remain babes in Christ far longer than we should.  This has been a problem for Christians for many years.  Paul had this same problem with the church in Corinth where he had to confront the divisions in the church in chapter 1 and chapter 3.  In chapter 1 Paul said this in verses 10-13, “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

Also in chapter 3 verses 1-6 Paul said this, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos, are you not mere men?  What then is Apollos? And what is Paul?  Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”

Just like in Paul’s day, there seems to be many people that have this same problem, along with many others in our day.  There seems to be far too many people today that have their eyes on people and not on the Lord.   We used to have a sign on the wall in our Sunday School Room that read, “Glimpse at people and gaze at the Lord.”  I have found over the years that exalting people is never a good idea, respecting them, yes, but the Lord is the only One that should be exalted and the only One we should follow.  The Lord is the head of the church and without His sacrifice there wouldn’t be a church, so keep your eyes on Him and follow Him and respect people.  

People will help you at times but they will also let you down and many times hinder your growth, but the Lord will never let you down, He will help you become mature and balanced in your Christian walk.  It was because of Him that you are a Christian, praise the Lord!!  Think about it and have a great day and may the Lord bless you and yours!!