The Marque of Spiritual Maturity
Philippians 3:13-15 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven. All of us who have grown to be spiritually mature should think this way too.
Question … what does spiritual maturity look like? What’s the identifying marque, the brand, the logo, the thing by which you can immediately see the development of spiritual maturity in a person?
Logos like Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Porsche are instantly recognisable. Granted, most of us (me included) will never be able to afford one, but we can recognise them instantly, right?
So, let me ask again … what’s the marque of someone who’s growing in spiritual maturity in Christ? How can you recognise them in an instant? Writes the Apostle Paul:
Philippians 3:15 All of us who have grown to be spiritually mature should think this way too.
Which begs the question … think what way, too? Well, the answer comes in the previous couple of verses:
Philippians 3:13,14 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.
So the marque of spiritual maturity isn’t perfection but rather being focussed on running hard toward the finishing line; not dwelling in the past, but throwing all your energies into becoming more and more Christ-like day by day. If that’s your objective, if that’s what you focus on, if you accept the instruction and the correction of God’s Word and live it out amidst the messiness of life, you can’t help but grow in spiritual maturity. So can I ask you, do you bear that marque?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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