Dear Family and Friends,

Have you ever wondered how mature you are in Christ? Or if you’re maturing at all?

Can you recall your teens and twenties? The years we thought we were grown up only to realize years later how immature we really were.

Striving to be like Christ is quite the same. It’s hard to gauge how far along we are. But here’s a clue.

Jesus came as King of the Upside Down Kingdom. His ways were and will always be counter to the world’s.

Signs of our maturity can also be counter to the world’s.

When we think we’re mature, we’re actually not.

And when it seems we’re not yet mature, we’re closer to our goal than we thought.

For example, most of us go through a phase when we feel pretty good about our faith walk.

We’re doing everything the pastor asks. We serve at church. Join a small group. Read the Bible daily. We think we’re living the life Jesus wants for us.

But for some, feelings of superiority begin to creep in. We look down on others who aren’t as “religious” as we are. Knowing Jesus and scripture become a source of pride.

I once counseled someone who was involved in a “Biblical” argument with a fellow believer. They were caught up in a vicious cycle, pointing out how the other fell short of a variety of Bible verses.

Unfortunately, there are many who say they are Christian but talk and act quite worldly. They think they are mature in Christ, but have more to go.

According to Paul, this is not a modern phenomenon.

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”  ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So you ask, how do we know if we’re maturing?

We all recognize Paul as a pillar of our faith. He not only spread the Gospel to the Gentiles, he wrote most of the New Testament, setting the foundation for what we believe today.

Martin Luther wrote this about Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.

“This epistle [Romans] is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest gospel.

It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul.

We can never read it or ponder over it too much; for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes.”

With respect to our topic for today, Paul had this to say.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.

As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.”  ‭‭Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭15-18 NIV‬‬

He begins to end this section of the letter with this.

“What a wretched man I am!”  Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There were several reasons why Paul shared his dirty laundry. But let’s focus on this one simple thought:

The closer we are to being like Jesus, the closer we are to seeing ourselves as Christ sees us.

From the world’s point of view, declaring one’s sinfulness is quite unflattering. After all, if we’re like Jesus we will stop sinning. Right?

Wrong.

In his maturity, Paul was able to see his true self, sins and all. 

My friends, when you start seeing yourself as you truly are, when you realize that you are indeed wretched, you will experience Paul’s revelation of spiritual maturity. 

And like Paul, be overwhelmingly grateful for God’s blessings. 

Thanks be to God, Who delivers us through Jesus Christ our Lord!

In love always,