Spiritual Maturity: Here Are 3 Pieces Of Advice To Help You Grow Quickly In The Faith
We all live in a time where everything is done in an instant. We have instant messaging, instant coffee, instant noodles, even instant meals. Of the many things that can be done quickly, there's one thing that many of us want to achieve fast but cannot. It's called maturity.
Maturity implies growth over time. But some simply grow old without maturing. Yes, some simply grow old, but don't grow up.
The same holds true for Christian maturity. There are those who have been Christians for decades and yet still fail to grow mature in their understanding and application of Gospel truth. On the other hand, there are some in the church who appear to be young and yet possess a maturity that surpasses their peers. Indeed, age is not the only factor in one's growth in the Lord.
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Young but Ready
Let's consider the young man whom Paul entrusted a church to: Timothy. He was a young man, a teenager when he met Paul when the latter was in Lystra. As a young man, Timothy was well spoken of by the believers in the region (see Acts 16:1-2). Eventually, he would join Paul in the work of the Gospel, and would later be a key leader in the church in Ephesus (see 1 Timothy 1:3).
Being a young man, Timothy needed much encouragement. Yet, his youth was no reason for him to be immature; Rather, it was a testimony to how he could be young and yet be used by God. Paul told him,
"Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)
In the same way, any Christian can grow mature. Just like Timothy, age is no requirement to spiritual maturity. It requires, however, that we do some things:
1) Be willing to be discipled
The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes a disciple as "a person who accepts and helps to spread the teachings of another." A disciple of Christ, then, accepts, believes, and desires to spread what Christ taught.
Anybody who wants to grow mature in the Christian faith must first be willing to accept Christ's teachings. Timothy grew up being taught the Holy Scriptures, "which are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith that is in Christ Jesus." (see 2 Timothy 3:15)
2) Carefully observe how Godly men and women live - and learn from them
It would also be good to observe the lives of Godly men and women to learn from them and see how God deals with them. Timothy grew mature doing this, according to 2 Timothy 3:10-11, where Paul says:
"But you have observed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, tolerance, love, patience, persecutions, and afflictions, which came to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—what persecutions I endured! But the Lord delivered me out of them all."
3) Practice the faith
Lastly, maturity can be attained through practice. Hebrews 5:14 tells us,
"But solid food belongs to those who are mature, for those who through practice have powers of discernment that are trained to distinguish good from evil."
