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Have you ever looked back over your life and realized just how much you’ve changed? Perhaps you can see ways that God has grown you, lessons you’ve learned, and areas where you’re not the same person you were years ago. And yet, if you’re anything like me, you can also look at your life today and recognize just how much growing you still have to do.
That’s the interesting thing about spiritual maturity. We can look back and see how far we’ve come, while at the same time recognizing that we’re not yet where we want to be.
The good news is that God isn’t finished with us.
Philippians 1:6 reminds us that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. God is at work in our lives, shaping us, teaching us, and making us more like Christ.
But spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight. Just as a newborn baby needs years to grow into a mature adult, we need time to grow and mature in our walk with the Lord.
And while God is the one doing the work in us, there are things we must be willing to do as we submit to His work.
I believe there are two important requirements for spiritual maturity: time and intention.
Spiritual Maturity Takes Time
When we’re born again, we’re like newborn babies spiritually. We have so much to learn. We need to grow in our understanding of God’s Word, learn to recognize His ways, and develop the character of Christ in our lives.
And that takes time.
Think about a tree. A tree doesn’t grow from a tiny seed into a strong, mature tree overnight. It grows slowly, season after season. It needs nourishment, water, sunlight, and protection. Its roots have to grow deep before it can withstand the storms that come its way.
I love the picture of spiritual growth found in Psalm 1:
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:2–3, NASB)
What a beautiful picture of a person who is growing in God!
This is someone who delights in God’s Word, meditates on it day and night, and is learning to live according to God’s ways rather than following the ways of the world.
Notice the picture of the tree. It is firmly planted by streams of water. Its roots are receiving the nourishment and refreshment they need, and because it is planted in a good place, it is able to produce fruit in its season.
I think this is such an important reminder for us.
We live in a world where we expect things to happen quickly. We want immediate results, quick answers, and visible progress. But spiritual maturity doesn’t work that way.
We’re not weeds that spring up overnight. We’re trees that grow slowly, developing deep roots and becoming stronger over time.
And just like a young tree needs protection while it’s growing, we need to be intentional about the things that nourish and strengthen our faith.
We need God’s Word. We need time in His presence. We need to learn His ways and put what He teaches us into practice.
As we do, our roots grow deeper, and the fruit of our lives begins to reflect the work He’s doing in us.
And that fruit becomes sweeter over time.
When we’re young in the faith, we’re learning what it means to walk in love, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. We may not always get it right. We’re learning, growing, and discovering what it looks like to live out the character of Christ.
But as we continue walking with the Lord, we grow in wisdom and in our knowledge of Him. We become more mature in the way we respond to people, handle difficult circumstances, and make decisions.
We become more like the One who created us because He is the One doing the work inside of us.
So be patient with yourself. Spiritual maturity takes time.
I can look back over the 31 years since I first became a Christian and see so many ways God has grown me. But I can also look at my life today and recognize areas where I’m still not responding the way Christ would.
Sometimes our own flesh rises up in situations where we thought we had grown beyond a particular struggle. And we’re reminded that we still have more to learn.
But that’s okay. God hasn’t given up on us.
Tomorrow is another opportunity to grow in our faith, to learn more about Him, and to respond to the situations in our lives in a way that reflects Jesus.
None of us has arrived. There is always more to learn and more room for growth.
Spiritual Maturity Takes Intention
The second requirement for spiritual maturity is intention.
While a physical baby will naturally grow as long as he receives the nourishment and care he needs, spiritual growth requires a conscious decision on our part.
We have to decide that we want to grow.
Becoming a Christian involves a decision to believe and follow Jesus. But growing in our relationship with Him also requires a decision, and it’s not a decision we make just once.
It’s a decision we must continue making throughout our lives.
If we’re going to mature spiritually, we have to commit ourselves to the things that help us grow.
Psalm 1 gives us one example. It describes a person whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on His Word day and night.
That doesn’t happen accidentally.
We have to make time to open our Bibles and learn what God says. We have to meditate on His Word, allowing it to shape our thinking and work its way into our hearts. And we have to be willing to put what we learn into practice.
We also need to invite the Holy Spirit to show us where we need to grow.
We can pray:
Lord, show me where I need to grow. Open my eyes to see myself as I really am. Put Your finger on the things You want to work on in my life today. Teach me what it looks like to walk in the Spirit, and help me to follow Your leading.
The Holy Spirit wants to help us mature. He wants to teach us, lead us, and work in us so that we become more like Christ.
But we have to be willing to spend time with Him, listen, and obey.
And this is where intention becomes so important.
It isn’t just one decision to follow Jesus. It’s many, many decisions along the way.
Today, I’m going to follow Jesus.
Today, I’m going to do the hard thing.
Today, I’m going to listen to the Holy Spirit and obey.
Today, I’m going to make time for God’s Word and allow Him to speak into my life.
Those daily decisions are part of what it means to grow spiritually.
It takes time, not only time measured in years, but time in our everyday lives. We have to make room for the things that nourish our relationship with God and help us become spiritually mature.
Keep Pressing Toward the Goal
One of my favorite passages that illustrates this desire for spiritual growth is found in Philippians 3.
Paul writes:
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Philippians 3:10, NASB)
Then, a couple of verses later, he says:
“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on…” (Philippians 3:12, NASB)
Paul understood that he hadn’t arrived. He hadn’t obtained everything he desired, and he wasn’t yet perfect. But he had made a decision about the direction of his life.
He was pressing on.
He continues in verses 13–14, explaining that he forgets what lies behind, reaches forward to what lies ahead, and presses toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
I love Paul’s mindset here.
He wasn’t content to remain where he was spiritually. He wanted to know Christ more deeply. He wanted to grow in his understanding, become more like Him, and continue pursuing the purpose for which Christ had called him.
That is the heart of spiritual maturity.
We recognize that we haven’t arrived, but we don’t become discouraged by how far we still have to go. Instead, we keep pressing forward.
We commit ourselves to knowing Him more, following Him more closely, and becoming the people He created us to be.
And here’s something important to remember: God knows exactly what it takes to get us there..
We may have our own ideas about what spiritual growth should look like. We may think we know what needs to happen next or what areas of our lives need the most attention.
But the Holy Spirit knows us completely. He knows what we need, where we’re going, and how to bring about the work He desires to do in us.
God began the work, and He knows how to complete it.
Our responsibility is to surrender to Him, submit to the process, and keep saying yes.
Growing in God Is a Lifelong Journey
If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s that spiritual maturity is a process.
It takes time. It takes intention. And it takes a willingness to continually surrender ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t become discouraged because you haven’t arrived where you want to be. Instead, look at where God has brought you, recognize the work He’s doing today, and keep pressing forward.
You don’t have to have everything figured out. You don’t have to know exactly what the journey will look like.
You simply need to keep your eyes on Jesus and remain willing to follow Him.
My prayer is that we would never become content with staying where we are spiritually. That we would continue to hunger for God’s Word, desire to know Him more, and allow the Holy Spirit to make us more like Christ.
Let’s be women who are firmly planted in God’s Word, growing deep roots, and producing fruit in its season.
And let’s remember that the good work God began in us, He will be faithful to complete.
A Prayer for Spiritual Growth
Father, thank You for the good work You have begun in us. Thank You that You know the plans You have for us and that You know exactly what we need to become the people You created us to be.
Help us surrender to what You’re doing in our lives. Give us a desire to know You more, to grow in Your Word, and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Open our eyes to see the areas where we need to grow. Give us patience with the process and the determination to keep pressing forward. Make us more and more like Jesus, and let the fruit of the Spirit become increasingly evident in our lives.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
God bless, friend. Keep growing, keep pressing forward, and keep walking with Jesus.
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