“Your love for one another
will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” – John 13:35
Are you really a Christian,
or are you like the foolish virgins who were unprepared and not allowed into
the wedding? (Matthew 25:3). There are several indicators in the Word that we
can use to judge the maturity of our life in Christ. Obedience
to God’s Word is an indicator of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Matthew
7:24; 1 John 2:3). Our sense of
self-worth and security is centered on God and on our position in Christ,
rather than on other people or our good works (1 Thessalonians 2:1-6; Ephesians 6:6-7). For a
true Christian, trials strengthen our faith, rather than weaken our trust in
God’s faithfulness (1 Peter 4:12-13; James 1:2-4). Our love for one another is another indication that
we are truly Born Again (John 13:35).
When we come to Christ, the
Holy Spirit circumcises our heart (Romans 2:29). He trims off the fleshly parts of our soul, and we
are no longer involved in dead works (Hebrews 6:1). We stop planning our own life and we start following
the Spirit’s direction with each step we take (Galatians 5:25). If we fail in one area of our life, it is not an
indication that we are not born again. We may lose a battle, but Christ already
won the war 2000 years ago on Calvary’s Cross. It simply means that God is
working in that area of our life, and is showing us how to submit to His
Spirit’s direction. However, without allowing God to do His sanctifying work in
our soul, we will not see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
Each new day is another
opportunity to walk in His truths and to press on toward the goal that Jesus
sets before us (Philippians 3:14).
His transformation of our soul takes a lifetime, but there is a gradual
progression in which we bear more and more fruit (John 15: 5,8). The Holy Spirit produces in us His fruit of love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faithfulness (Galatians
5:22-23). We
also exhibit the fruit of repentance (Mathew 3:7-8), the fruit of good works (Colossians
1:10), the
fruit of praise and thanksgiving to God (Hebrews 13:15), and the fruit of
righteousness (Philippians 1: 9-11).
Salvation and Sanctification
come as a result of knowing God intimately. The Spirit illuminates the Word of
God to our hearts. As we walk in obedience to His Word, He changes us from
glory to glory (Romans 9:23).
Spiritual maturity is the result of reading the Word, which teaches us how to
walk in righteousness. As we walk in His truth, the Spirit trains our senses to
discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:11-14). We start to pay attention to what we listen to, what we watch, what we
talk about, what decisions we make and what actions we take (Mark
4:24-25). As Christians, our life in
hidden with Christ in God, and daily we die to our carnal nature and its
cravings (Colossians 3:3; 1 Corinthians 15:31). We walk in the power of His resurrection and we
press on toward perfection (Philippians 3:10-16).
Our goals in life change. We
live to honor and glorify God with our words and deeds, and He rewards our
efforts with an inheritance that will last throughout eternity (1 Peter
1:3-4). We are a new creation in Christ
and His spirit within us gives us the desire and the power to perform His will
for our life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 2:12-13). Every day, we see more of His likeness in our
personality, desires, words and actions (2 Corinthians 3:18). We exchange carnal priorities with eternal ones (1 Peter
2:11). Paul tells us that loving our
brothers and sisters is a mark of a mature Christian (Ephesians 6:6-7; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 12:10). We accept one another rather than partaking in
gossip and slander toward each other (Romans
12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; 1 Peter 3:8; Ephesians 4:2; Matthew 7:1; Luke
6:37). We no longer live for our self,
but for God’s glory and for the love of our brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John
4:20).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, give us Your
love for one another. Teach us to bear one another’s burdens, so we can fulfill
Your law. Keep us from gossip, prejudice, pride and the refusal to accept a
brother or sister as he/she is in Christ (1 Peter 1:22). Help us to show our love for one another just as You
show Your love to us, by laying down our life for one another (John
13:34; Galatians 6:10). This way, as we
love one another, Your love will be made complete in us (1 John
4:12).
Thought for the Day:
Mature
Christians outdo one another in showing love. - Romans 12:10
