THE WORD FOR TODAY. MONDAY 27 NOVEMBER, 2017. SPIRITUAL GROWTH (2)

“When we grew up, we quit our childish ways.” 1 Corinthians 13:11 CEV

PEOPLE WITH strong faith can make you feel “less than,” when you compare yourself to them. One Bible teacher writes: “I admired those faith heroes whose flowery testimonies hung around the ceiling, like steam gathering in a shower. They seemed so changed, so sure, so stable. I thought God’s love was doled out according to a merit system. If I did well today, He loved me. If I failed, He didn’t. What a roller coaster! I didn’t realize everything that’s born needs time to grow and develop into maturity. I was expecting an immediate, powerful, all-inclusive metamorphosis that would transform me into perfection.” Do you feel that way, as if there is something wrong with you because you never seem to measure up? If so, read this: “When we were children, we…reasoned as children …But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways.” You start as a spiritual infant, then you become a spiritual child, then you become a spiritual adolescent, and eventually you become a spiritual adult. But you never “arrive.” And quick-fix, do-it-yourself righteousness will just make you try to impress others with a false sense of holiness. It will stop you from being honest before God and make you think you should be farther along than you are for your spiritual age. Do you remember when you were a child and you dressed up in your mom’s high heels or your dad’s work boots? No matter how much you wanted to fit into them, you couldn’t. That didn’t mean there was something wrong with you; it just meant you were exactly where you should have been for your age.

Bible In A Year: Luke 22:47-71, Ps. 120-122