Pursuing Spiritual Maturity

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.  1 Peter 2:2-3

Happy New Year….2014 has arrived.  Are you making a New Year’s resolution?  This year I encourage you to make a choice to intentionally pursue spiritual maturity.  Decide to grow in a more intimate relationship with your LORD.  It is a choice.  We can continue to go about life as we always have or we can make a choice to pursue our Heavenly Father and His will like we never have before.  Why wouldn’t we want a closer relationship with someone who loves us with a never-ending, lavish love?  Our Savior and LORD desires to give us an abundant life.  Are you willing to take what He is offering?  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full – John 10:10.  Choose not to live a life that is empty.  Choose to live a life full of meaning and blessings.

We will never come to a place where we need to stop pursuing spiritual maturity.  As you begin the year 2014 and choose to commit to pursuing spiritual maturity, ask yourself these questions.  How much time do I spend reading, studying, and mediating on God’s Word?  Has my relationship and dependency on God changed in the last few years?  How do I truly view my Savior and LORD?  You alone are the LORD.  You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them.  You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you – Nehemiah 9:6. 

Pray and ask God to place in your heart a desire to read and to study His Word.  Ask God to reveal truth from His Word to you.  There may be things in your life that are hindering your relationship with your Heavenly Father.  Sometimes we know just what these things are.  These things must be removed if they are hindering a growing relationship with your Savior and LORD.  Ask for His help.  You do not have to do this alone.  You are incapable of doing this on your own.  Some things in your life you may not realize are hindering your growth toward spiritual maturity.  Ask God to reveal these things in your life that must be removed so that you can grow in a more intimate relationship with Him.  Whatever it is that is distracting you from your relationship with the LORD, must be dealt with. 

Friend, our LORD loves us and is devoted to us.  Now is the time to show our Savior and LORD we love Him and are devoted to Him and His will for our life.  We must abide in Him and we can’t do that without reading His Word and allowing Him to speak to us through His Word.  If we are pursuing spiritual maturity this should be our desire – Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is Christ – Ephesians 4:14-15.

As you pursue spiritual maturity, surround yourself with others who have the same desire.  Interacting with other believers will spur us on to grow in our faith.  God reveals to us in His Word that He will use His church as an instrument of blessing, healing, and a place where He will abide.  Friends, believers are the body of Christ.  We are the church.  Gather with other believers and choose to pursue spiritual maturity.  Surround yourself with others who are thirsty for God and His Word.  Hebrew 10:24-25 – And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

So as the year 2014 begins, make the choice to grow toward spiritual maturity.  God promises you that you will not regret your decision.  He will bless you beyond measure, comfort you when needed, and strengthen you when you are weak.  He will provide you with all things you will need to continue your journey towards your Heavenly home.  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work – 2 Corinthians 9:8.

Dear LORD, I pray that we will make the choice to pursue spiritual maturity.  Thank you LORD for providing us with what we will need.  Place a thirst and a hunger in our hearts and souls for the truth that is only found in Your Word.  Reveal to us Father, what is distracting us from an intimate relationship with You.  Help us to get rid of the distractions in our life.  I love You and praise You, LORD.  In Jesus Holy Name…..Amen