It’s Time to Grow Up!

Nowwww…I hope that the title smacked you as hard as it smacked me when I heard what I describe as sarcasm flowing through God’s voice to me. You know that I have to keep it real so I must admit that this was in a moment that I desired to be petty in response to a message that I had received. Imagine having petty thoughts, and Holy Spirit interjecting telling you to grow up. Yeahhhh..! I laughed it off before actively listening to what would follow. God reminded me that it is essential to not be led by my flesh and that all of my responses need to be in a manner that please Him. Let’s Talk!

Maturity can be defined as “the ability to respond to situations in an age-appropriate manner, exhibiting traits like self-awareness, emotional control, and responsibility; it’s not solely about age but rather a level of mental development and wisdom” according to the AI-generated aspect of Google Knowledge. First Corinthians 13:11 immediately came to mind when typing that definition. That verse reads, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside”. All of that is self-explanatory so let’s journey forward. When I had the desire to respond in a petty way and match energy, it was solely due to my flesh, feelings, and no desire to exercise self-control. All of that equates to immaturity. And I am grateful for Holy Spirit’s correction and guidance even in what others may deem a “small moment” such as that one.

Let’s talk about spiritual immaturity. First Corinthians 3:1-3 reads, “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?”. Considering that verse, I equated my desired response to be spiritually immature as well due to me desiring to respond out of flesh. When we are becoming spiritually mature in Christ, we are supposed to become more like Him and less carnal according to Galatians 5:24-26. When we are becoming spiritually mature in Christ, we also began to exhibit the characteristics and traits that are within Him; some of which can be found in Galatians 5:22-23.

When Paul referenced milk and solid food in 1 Corinthians 3:2, I immediately thought about a newborn’s growth and development. As a newborn progresses into a toddler, their dependency on formula milk decreases as their desire for solid food increases. Not only that, as toddlers age closer to 1 year, the milk type changes from formula milk to whole milk. All of these factors of progression in milk and solid food are essential for the growth and development of the child’s organs and body. Of course, we know that the progression from milk to solid food in 1 Corinthians 3:2 is not referring to physical food but is referencing the level of spiritual maturity a believer possesses. When a person is saved and becomes a new follower of Christ, he thrives off of the knowledge and implementation of basic principles (milk). He is not expected to be able to fully comprehend the depths of Jesus (solid food). But once he reaches a certain “age in Christ”, he is expected to have progressed from a babe in Christ to a person who possesses a higher level of spiritual maturity. At some point, he should be spiritually mature enough to be teaching others, be skilled in the doctrine of righteousness, be Spirit-led, be able to control his feelings, and be past the elementary stage in teachings and doctrines of Christ (Hebrews 5:12-14 and Hebrews 6:1-3).

Would you say that you are spiritually immature or spiritually mature? Have you progressed from milk to solid food? What is halting your progression, if not? How long will you desire to be driven by your flesh? How long will you remain stagnate in your growth and development process? The time to grow up is now! I encourage you to evaluate your spiritual maturity level and lay your findings before Christ if they are not up to par.

Read, dissect, and meditate on the above mentioned verses.