Maturity In God's Word

4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

Philemon 1:4-7 (ESV)

In our walk with God are we growing in a mature relationship to Him or are we settling for the status queue? We should be approaching each day with the understanding that as we love God and each other He is at work bringing out the best in each of us. Not for our glory but for His. You see the scripture tells us that as we gain knowledge of who Jesus is in our own lives we should be filled with a strength and confidence to share the gospel with others. In doing this we bring Joy to the heart of God because we have grown to show His love to a world that is lost and dying. Now this pattern of prayer and growth is found throughout Paul’s writings.

 9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Colossians 1:9-14 (NLT)

I wonder when Paul wrote his letters to these churches if he realized the impact they would one day have on the world. You see he was not just praying for that time but also for our day and each person who might read it. They were originally shared with ever church and the message was that as we grow closer to God through our relationships to Jesus and to His Word we will become mature in our understanding of what He has called for each of us to do. Our maturity in Christ is only understood in our relationship to Him.

Today I want to close with this simple prayer, May God bring blessings to those who have chosen to follow His son Jesus. I pray He strengthen your faith and provide you with the power to love yourself and others and to live a life worthy of His sacrifice; for you are no longer living in the Kingdom of Darkness but you are sons and daughters of the Kingdom of Light. I pray you are a blessing to everyone you meet and may the light of God’s Word shine out from you breaking the darkness you come in contact with each new day. I give thanks for each of you daily as God brings you into a greater relationship with Him. Amen