Maturity

P 2619 Let us not misunderstand God’s Love.

/ DVH

Our Heavenly Father’s Love is always ON. His love is ablaze with fire and passion for all of us. His love burst forth in a visible form at Pentecost.  And His Grace has been abounding on this earth for centuries. Imagine that! It doesn’t wane, become greater or less, or fall away. That’s because our God is love, it is His nature.

Jesus Christ suffered unimaginable pain and suffering, not to mention humiliation and death, so WE could be called the Sons of God. His death teaches us, by example, that Love ALWAYS looks like something. It looks like a broken, bruised, bleeding, unrecognisable, totally innocent man, hanging on a wooden cross, tortured and dying … simply because He loved us all, and He spoke the truth. But people rejected His truth because they could not comprehend a love that could love the unlovely.  Humanity’s glorious opportunity to know God’s love for us, literally cut Him so deep, it was, and still is – incomprehensible.  Father God spared no cost, and held nothing back, now we know that Almighty God’s idea of love includes sacrifice not just emotion. 

“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”1 John 4:20. Our Heavenly Father takes love  seriously and His love is so far-reaching into our lives, plumbing our very depths, simply because we choose to belong to Him. Now the way we love our brother, exhibits a direct reflection of the measure of God’s own love IN, and toward US. We cannot conjure up such a love, but we can learn it if we choose to – one sacrifice at a time. 

That thought today made me wonder if one of the reasons that we feel we can’t love some people is because we have not actually comprehended what we are constantly being given! We often excuse and underestimate our sins, and exaggerate the sins of others. God didn’t love each one of us just enough – as in a measurable quantity – just enough to meet the requirements, and no more! His love is so overabundantly great it is always available and it is designed to daily transform us. His love is so deep we can swim in it, drown in it … and yet still live.

As we start to understand, through our own experiences with Him, and others in this life, how much undeserved GRACE we have been given, we will start to comprehend what Paul said in Ephesians 3:17-19.“…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Most of us have never experienced what being filled, right to the top with love, over and over again, is like … even though we all know Jesus. I have prayed Ephesians 3 for myself for years! I know I need ever-increasing comprehension! It seems to me that everything we know about Almighty God and His kind of love hangs on those verses. He wants our hearts to respond to His heart with the same kind of passion He has already shown us. And we will all definitely need His help to do it, because human beings have a habit of hiding who we really are from ourselves.

In the Old Testament the Israelites were kind of …blah about God. He was a figurehead Who was there to provide and care for them, and when it appeared to them that He wasn’t doing what they thought He should do – they voted with their feet and went after empty pagan symbols that had no power or meaning. That’s a childish kind of love. Our reciprocal love toward God is not meant to come from a “I won’t love You if You don’t please me.” kind of response. Our admiration for His Grace toward us, needs to overtake our judgment of others.

Maturity understands that what He did surpasses anything we can possibly hope for or imagine. Let’s remember God’s love in Christ is not exclusive.  It is utterly inclusive. He doesn’t treat us as we deserve – EG: ’that guy’s sins are worse than mine.’ Instead His love is part of His very Being, His substance. It simply doesn’t have self- imposed limits. The reason the bible tells us to love our enemies, those who hurt us – is so we will quickly realise that we need to be constantly and comprehensively flooded with His love to such a level, that the other person’s reaction or response doesn’t come into it! A shortage of His love is not the problem, our decision to die to activate it in ourselves is!

Let’s not misunderstand God’s love or make it into something that it isn’t… God’s love is utterly incomprehensible unless you start to chase it. His kind of love causes the one He loves to flower and be the best version of themselves. Loving others transforms ME so I don’t see them the same way. It is a key to “His kingdom coming here on earth as it is in heaven…” Jesus Christ left us His keys to His kingdom. Sadly this means we can lock other people into being less than they can be, by our lack of love for them. But if we live this life, prepared to die for others, like our Saviour did for us, the passion and fire of the Holy Spirit is always with us. He will do that IN US.  👋

P 2526 Some thoughts on what maturity looks like.

/ DVH

To begin, I need to say that I do not think the things I have mentioned here indicate a place of arrival, rather they are personal sign posts. I wrangle every single day with all of these things… but I refuse to lower my aim just because these things are hard! Becoming like Jesus to other people means everything to me.Today, I have added in my own thoughts as well, but I think that this is one of those times that I need to let God’s word speak for itself. 

It is also good to look carefully at Jesus in the Gospels to see how God’s Grace operated. How HE took it in and breathed it out. Maturity sees Grace as the coin of the realm, they freely give Grace away and they also receive it in. Romans 8:29: “For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Mature Christians have walked way past being dead to sin, that’s a no-brainer! Instead they are so alive they challenge you by the way they live.

Galatians 2:20 TPT “My old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives His life through me—we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God Who loves me so much that He gave Himself for me, dispensing His life into mine!”

I think we all have a need to mature in the Western World, because, sadly, immature people follow fads as well as people — not Christ Himself. Ephesians 4:14 ”…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”  The Body of Christ will grow in spiritual maturity, by learning to persevere through the trials and challenges of our life. Mature people are humble because life itself and the Word of God has taught them, who they really are, without the Holy Spirit’s help. 

James 1:2-5 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  Trials are an opportunity to stretch and grow our faith!

Mature believers seek to live a life that is Spirit-filled — that is, they learn to be aware of and listen to God’s Spirit, who lives within all Jesus’ followers. Romans 6:11-14 says: “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” 

These people Paul talks about understand that sin is a choice and the more anyone gives in to it, the harder it becomes to resist! So they “…present their bodies as a living sacrifice …” instead. They want what the Lord wants. They may not always know what that is … but they will take the time to wait on Him to find out! These people are a generous people. They not only share, but they make sure that their love is demonstrated not just talked about. Their only desire is to please the Lord above everything and everyone else. 

Mature people will quickly admit their faults and their lack, but they also know exactly where to go to repent and be filled again. Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you.” Forgiveness is never an optional extra to these people, it is a way of life. This means they do not judge others either. They know how to repent and admit that they were wrong, because their aim is Christ’s likeness not vindication. So they always repent quickly, then usher in real restoration, and go back into relationship again. Psalm 15:4:“They keep their promises to their neighbours, even when it hurts.” 

Philippians 4:11&12. “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  These saints have found their contentment in knowing God Himself, and the Lord and His Presence in their lives is all they want. They never have to pray – they simply want to talk to the Lord because they love to be with Him. Maturity will refuse to define what other people’s love should look like, it accepts what the other person gives them with His Grace.

Lastly, in order to grow spiritually and mature in our faith, we must draw near to God, because we cannot mature on our own. Without His personal input into our lives – our works and efforts are worthless.

Bless you and bye for today! 👋

P 2483 Let’s go on a treasure hunt, every day!

/ DVH

Father God hides clues about what He likes, and what He doesn’t like, right throughout the bible. Sometimes it seems so understated it is easy to breeze on by it all and start to read, blah blah blah. As I said yesterday, we need to pay attention to the words used, just like the words – “present your body as a living sacrifice, that is our true acceptable spiritual worship…”  (Romans 12:1) …  are a new way to think about living this life we have.

Hidden in those words is what God really wants from us. He wants US! ALL of us. That stuff is not there so we can just ‘get by,’ it is there as a clue to what is really going on. He wants us to worship Him the way Christ did. With all of us. You know, Jesus didn’t stop half-way through His sacrificial offering on the cross and say: “Well, that will DO!” 😱 He hung there until everything … the past, present and future redemption of mankind… was finished. Our response to the Lord cannot be half-hearted, or temporary… depending on how busy we are. Or even once in a blue moon — we all know how trouble flies about like pollen on a high wind day! 

The Holy Spirit has promised to help us to achieve whatever goal He puts before us – we have that in writing! That includes very difficult things like loving people who totally drive us crazy! Go after the kingdom, and let knowledge take second place … because it puffs up! Most people expect to be able to easily do what He asks them to do – and so they look to their own talents. Things like they can sing well, so they are going to ‘sing for Jesus!’  Hmmm…. He’s got choirs in heaven that would blow our minds … He asks us to do impossible things so we will need His help to do them!

I don’t care how good you are … it doesn’t take faith to do something you KNOW you can already do. Let’s start with where we are, and let us let Him expand us. This is the new life, a new kingdom. HIS. The kingdom is life-changing, and transformative stuff. It’s like dynamite. When you use dynamite the landscape around you changes.  By all means surrender your talents, but get bigger than that. In the bible a talent can be buried in the ground. But His kingdom is meant to be dug up! His kingdom will feed thousands.

Now, here’s the same verse again from Romans 12:1-2 MSG. “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”  The important part of this verse is “God helping you.”

Here’s a really good idea to brighten up your bible reading, start reading the bible in a new version. However, even loving the word is not the same as doing it. We need His individual daily comprehension to do that and the Holy Spirit is ready, willing and MORE THAN able to help us. If we really want to know the Lord, we need to be serious about looking for Him and His Ways in the book. Every day should bring us new discoveries about Who He is and what He likes and what He is looking for from us.

To me, reading the bible is like a treasure hunt that happens every single day. You don’t find treasures lying about on the surface, you have to DIG for them. That means effort. It is not something we can do quickly and then close the book and think we are finished. The bible is our daily bread – we have to chew on it to extract the goodness out of the meat in there. We simply must stop seeing His Word as pretty comforting suggestions, and use our faith to expand it into a new way to live.

Here’s my last juicy bit of steak for today:“I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” This scripture shows me that no matter how difficult stuff is … I have His personal assurance that I can get through it with His strength. I love to put what He says into my own words to extract even more meaning … like this:… ‘Because I know He will help and strengthen me, I can do anything He asks me to do.’ We don’t need strength before we do something… if we already have it, then we don’t need to ask for it!! Do more than read the words, dig for the treasure of MORE.… Bye. 👋🏻

PS – from the bible app. Someone who reads the bible four or more times a week is:

  • 59% less likely to view pornography
  • 74% less likely to gamble
  • 407% more likely to memorise Scripture
  • 228% more likely to share their faith with others
  • 231% more likely to disciple others

     *  30% less likely to be lonely

P 2422 Understanding choices is a mark of maturity.

/ DVH

“And in love He chose us before He laid the foundation of the universe! Because of His great love, He ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in His eyes with an unstained innocence. For it was always in His perfect plan to adopt us as His delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that His tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify His grace —for the same love He has for the Beloved, Jesus, He has for us. And this unfolding plan brings Him great pleasure!” Ephesians 1:4-6 TPT.

Choice is a funny thing;  when we are teenagers we can end up choosing to do stuff because all our friends are doing it, whether that stuff is good or bad. And unless we happen to be Sam Kerr, David Beckham or Roger Federer, we can end up not chosen for some sporting team etc. at school, because everybody has worked out that we are a liability not an asset. I could never hit the broadside of a barn myself – and I often fell over my own feet. I bench-warmed my way through High School!

However … Jesus Christ chose us first … ‘while we were yet sinners…’  And at the same time maybe we actively hated this parent or that sibling, or this teacher or that boss, and wished them gone or dead – He still chose us. And He did that before we ever even got here. Such is the power of real love. Immaturity, I’ve personally discovered, often leaves all the hard choices to other people. I have a terrible feeling that the sub-text on that kind of decision is about being able to blame someone else if things work out badly. Not choosing is still choosing!

One of the worst enemies of the freedom to choose, is fear of failure. This means that we don’t choose because we don’t want to look stupid or unpopular. We don’t call it that, of course, we call it discernment, or even preferring one another. Speaking for myself, again, I discovered that idea is a bald-faced lie. Most times the only feelings I’m looking after are my own.

Human beings can go to great lengths to cover up their secret defensive agendas. For instance, if I accuse you of something, then you will be so busy defending yourself you will probably forget all about what I did. It is plain to me that the Lord wants me to get rid of all my defensive weapons and let HIM look after me. My problem comes because I can see that thing works both ways. What if He wants to look after you? 😳 PS He’s God… He can do BOTH.

Meanwhile, I’ve spent my lifetime sharpening and honing these implements of defence I’ve designed – and I don’t want to give them up – they are almost automatic now!

Have you ever watched a little kid hesitate between two items because they want both and you’ve told them to choose one?  Yeah, now you’re getting it. That’s what choice is all about. It means deciding in favour of one thing and against another and that’s not a bit popular in the world we live in.

We know that we can only choose well, because He chose us first. The real power of personal choice actually resides in knowing we’ve been empowered by what He did. Even if no-one ever empowered us as children, Jesus Christ, the ever-loving powerful Son of God has empowered us now! We simply have to choose to believe what His book says and act on it. We both know choices are hard because the habits of a lifetime compel us to “look after myself” — because no-one else will. 

So here some final questions to ask yourself: who taught either of us to be suspicious of other people? If you or I happen to think of someone when we ask that question, we should start by forgiving them. And remember, forgiveness, is not a feeling – it’s a choice! Of course you’ve never heard me say that before have you? 😂

And it helps to deliberately remind ourselves that Jesus chose us. Not because we have a sterling character, or we are aesthetically pleasing, or we are gifted one way or another. His choices were made the same way ours need to be. It involved sacrifice. Understanding the power of personal choice is a huge key while we are learning personal maturity with His help. It’s part of following Him. He chose – so now we choose … despite how we feel. 👋🏻

P 2396 The best support systems for faith.

/ DVH

Here’s a thought:  let’s all walk this earth, every single day, like we belong to Him. Not like undercover agents, madly hoping that no-one will notice that we are Christians, sliding under the radar. I wonder, do we hide what we believe because we are afraid we are not representing Him well? Or do we have some behaviour that we know isn’t great … and we kinda wanna keep it?? Maybe hiding what we believe gives us some kind of ‘cover’ and ‘plausible deniability?’😱 The church, our primary source of support for our faith, has kind of taken a real bashing. People are leaving it in droves.

Churches in the past, were seen. They were active and present in their communities. They used to be the glue that tied communities together. And caring fellowship was an important part of that togetherness. A church is not a club, meeting around a topic – a church is a community of believers getting together to worship Jesus and love others. I know there are some people who come and join our churches and I’m pretty sure they were sent by God to annoy the living daylights out of us. I think that’s because most Christians are stuck in the mud of self-complacency! However, a true body of believers is a witness to everyone around them, they are not just a bunch of people who sorta kinda believe the same thing.

Years ago, the church made itself responsible to bring about social justice, by caring for the poor and widows and orphans. Let’s keep doing that!! But I don’t believe caring for the poor should outweigh my devotion to Christ.  Right now, I’m hoping that the people who love Jesus are on the cusp of realising we are dodging the reality of what we believe, because we have no accompanying actions. The bible says we were saved to serve others – we are not here to have a happy life and then go home to God! Christianity began with a death and that’s the way it continues – with all of us deciding to die to self and live for Him … and others.

However, most of the time, instead of dealing with our internal attitudes, it has become much too easy to wander about, sometimes from one church to another, ‘shopping’ for someone in charge who believes my particular brand of theology. The real truth is, Christians actually hate change more than whatever it is that we are doing that isn’t in the book… and we want to keep right on doing it!

Postponing transformation in our lives of faith is deadly. Lemme tell you how I know that. One thing leads to another, and another, and before you know it – you aren’t going to ANY church anymore because you don’t like it, it’s boring, it goes for too long etc. etc.… you found better things to do!  Besides: ‘our pastor is dumb;  he preaches badly; he doesn’t really care about me and that’s supposed to be his job.’ That list goes on and on and ON.

Here’s a revelation: … we don’t go to church to be amused, we go there to meet with God as well as each other. To be challenged and comforted, as well as being led or shoved, out of our comfort zones. Having a church of ONE that meets in your garage is definitely not the same thing. BTW, our pastors have a duty of care to lead us into the Ways of God, they are not there to scratch our itchy backs, or pat us when we feel bad. They are not there to tell us things to help us feel good. That’s because the Christian life is one of progression – not stagnation. Pastors are part of the God-given support system sent to help us hone our faith into purity and devotion. 

A truly Godly pastor assumes you love the Lord enough to follow Him for yourself! He thinks you are coming to church because you want to know God better… Hmmm … maybe he’s deluded? Our leaders have stepped up into these roles to lead us into a greater maturity, so God can have what He wants. Whether you like your pastor’s style or not! We’ve become very used to critiquing how some poor guy does a job we don’t want to do, mainly because we like the freedom inactivity gives us!

Think on this: “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 NIV.

Most pastors are overworked and undervalued.They too are a part of the support system the Lord has put in place to grow our faith in Him. Along with fellowshipping together, praying for each other, studying the bible and doing good to everyone around us! Going to church is not a chore – it is the centre of our devotion and activity for Jesus. It is a support system for faith. 👋🏻

P 2137 Obedience is always the best option.

/ DVH

So today, I want to talk about obedience. Jesus taught us very carefully throughout the gospels how to line up with God’s will and live our lives His way. Obedience is not an optional extra – it is essential. WHY? Because all by ourselves, leaning on our own understanding, we will wander off and do something ridiculous, that’s why. Before we know it, then we are rendered deaf, dumb, and blind spiritually and our faith in God seems to drift further and further away. We become like sheep wandering along on the edge of a cliff … with no fence and no sense. Obedience to what the Lord says, and has already said, is the fence that keeps us away from the danger of falling off that cliff. How often did the Lord say to the Israelites? – “If you would only heed My voice.” ?(170 times FYI.)

Everything in the New Testament points to us obeying what He tells us to do, as well! Jesus taught over and over again, how to avoid the very deep pits the enemy digs for people and obedience is the key. To be honest, many people would rather worship for hours on end, than obey what the Lord has already asked them to do. (Like love our enemies?) satan means to destroy us, and obedience is the way to avoid drifting along mindlessly in our faith. We need to remember, that the other guy is a total snake – he starts in on us when we are too little to defend ourselves and tries to whittle away at our confidence that Jesus could ever love us. Eventually, when we reach maturity we think that the person we see in the mirror, with all those hopes and dreams is actually who we are. Mainly because we are used to the way we think. I exhort each one of us to learn to be flexible in all our opinions, even about who we are. There is a brand new YOU waiting for all of us! And it starts by renewing our minds, by listening and obeying.

The thing is, the way the Lord Jesus wants us to think is described in detail in the New Testament. That’s our guidance system. Not how we feel, or the odd thoughts that float about in our heads, or what other people say, or they have said, about us. God took murderers and made them part of His history with man – it seems to me that we have very little idea about the Way He thinks! We must also be aware of what we’ve been taught to think by those who were in authority over us. I am still constantly learning who HE says I am. However, there has never been a better time for us to change our minds, because each one of us has been bought with a price and sent here to fulfil His purposes. We are living in times of change and this is what the Lord is doing right now – He is changing our perception of who we are and WHO HE IS.

Now we have to learn to agree with Him. Otherwise we start thinking that maybe we are the exception to what He said and His instructions and blessings aren’t really for people like us – they are for more spiritual people, who do mighty things! When we think that our personal spiritual experiences aren’t lining up with what He said – we immediately diminish the power of God through us – and we allow our experiences to take charge instead. It is inherent in human beings to go by their own understanding and it is often greatly encouraged by others. We’ve been taught to do what feels right to us. Personally I hardly EVER feel like doing what He asks me to do – I get too scared!  It takes effort to change the status quo in our own lives, as well as the way we think. 

When I say it takes effort, I want to make sure that I am being clear about that – there are many times that denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following Him will go against everything that seems reasonable, comfortable, and popular. Humanly speaking, we all seem to like the easy road best. But our Saviour taught us about obedience through His own example, and He obeyed His Father to His death. Obedience positions us for what is happening now, and what lies ahead of us. When Jesus tells us to obey, it is for our own good not for His convenience.

Obedience takes humility. We have to admit to ourselves and others, that we can’t, or don’t even want to do whatever it is. Personally I think that that is a great starting place! The bible clearly says: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit …” When we acknowledge our spiritual poverty, we are positioning ourselves to be rich in His Grace, because “His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.” Instead of hiding or giving up, that’s the very place the Lord chooses for us to step out in faith. Sometimes we don’t even see the results of our actions and prayers, but obedience is about us drawing close to Him, voluntarily. It is about Him being more important than what we feel or think, or our fears and hurts. Obedience is about putting Him first.

Maybe you learnt human obedience the hard way – I did. In the past I let how I felt about discipline lead me around, because I had learned to obey out of fear. Any disobedience in those days was more about me needing to be accepted and made comfortable. Even when I became a Christian, I still had a deep need for people to accept me etc. We must press on, beyond blaming imperfect human beings as the source of our anguish, because at the bottom of these things is the enemy. It is never the Lord.But sadly many people are easily influenced by worldly things, as well.

In God’s wisdom, the confirmation of what He asks us to do for Him, often comes after our obedience. I can’t count how many times hubby and I have been driving away from something the Lord asked us to do, jumping up and down in our seats, because we could not believe what He did with the little bit of effort we gave Him. He multiplies EFFORT, as well as loaves and fishes!! This is my last thought, if we are willing to obey Him even before He speaks, we will attract His voice. Why would the Lord speak to someone who is going to ignore Him? We might want to think on that. 👋🏻

P 2134 How old are we, again?

/ DVH

“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honour. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.

When I was a child, I spoke about childish matters, for I saw things like a child and reasoned like a child. But the day came when I matured, and I SET ASIDE my childish ways. For now we see but a faint reflection of riddles and mysteries as though reflected in a mirror, but one day we will see face-to-face. My understanding is incomplete now, but one day I will understand everything, just as everything about me has been fully understood. Until then, there are three things that remain: faith, hope, and love—yet love surpasses them all. So above all else, let love be the beautiful prize for which you run.”  1 Corinthians  13:4-13 TPT

Here is a further point from that same chapter -V31b: “And now I will show you a superior way to live that is beyond comparison …”  That verse comes under the heading: ‘LOVE IS INDISPENSABLE.’  Hmmm. All this could need a great deal of thought and prayer. I put the biggest part of this chapter in Corinthians here today because we need to constantly revise what love looks like to Father God. We don’t get to define it, He does. And just because we don’t always feel like it, that doesn’t mean He didn’t give it! ✝️ We will have to exercise our faith.

However, love does not look like tolerating someone. Sometimes the childish things we bring into adulthood, come from inter-personal attitudes we’ve developed over the years from having to deal with difficult people who did not want to change. Maybe they did not understand us, or we did not understand them … and yet we need to still interact with them. Some of us will want to fight with them, and others are resigned to letting them win because, sigh, it seems like they always do. Suffice to say neither of those responses qualify as the kind of love the Lord is looking for! What to do? Choose to grow up! Realise that your bad temper or pouting as a child had a limited shelf-life …a-n-d …determine in your heart to put it away. The Holy Spirit will help you, but He won’t do it for you!

Just because your teacher, parent, pastor, youth leader hadn’t met someone like you before, that does not mean you must remain stuck back there with that kind of disapproval from the past. Hold the Holy Spirit’s hand and walk out of that childish place, forgiving these people with every single step you take. However, don’t be like many people  who are constantly being healed from their past, but they never actually arrive at being whole in the present! Sometimes you’ve just got to be bigger than that other person! That’s what maturity looks like, and it can hurt like crazy. But otherwise you will stay stuck in the prison that someone else designed for you, to keep you under control, and you will give up your God-given freedom to bloom where He planted you. 

There is nothing sadder than a mature person with childish manipulations and attitudes. Our new life of love is not meant to be controlled by anyone but Jesus. And He started out as a baby and then He grew up to be a MAN. He had plenty happen to Him that He could have let limit His personhood! Somewhere in there Jesus Christ, who started His life as a poor refugee, and went on to become the family bread winner, who was raised by a single mother. Let the bible decide who you are, not your feelings.

The Lord’s kind of Love is a tall order and it isn’t weak or able to be manipulated. Jesus believed in absolutes so He didn’t tack codicils onto the end of the laws given by Moses! Things like: “Of course you are exempt from being  changed because your parent didn’t care about you when you were little. Poor you.” God saved us because He loved us like 1 Corinthians 13 says, and the cross was His final word on that subject. I’ve seen so many bright and shiny Christian stars fall from the sky because they did not learn to deal with themselves. It takes humility to put away the past and be changed, and it will continue to take humility until we die. Learning to be humble is not fun…

… and forgiving the people who hurt you is just the beginning. After that we have to go past forgiveness and march right on into God’s kind of Love – by our choices. We are so blessed to have an on-the-spot Helper Who knows how to get us there! Father God daily gives us His love, grace and forgiveness so we can give it away to other people who don’t deserve it either. There are no small sins or big sins – there is remaining in Christ Jesus in fellowship with the Holy Spirit – or not. Just because the Lord does not shout at us to stop behaving like a three year old, that does not mean He is winking at the way we treat other people! We can’t blame Mummy or Daddy or the State any more. We are responsible for our own responses and the way we treat others. 

Personally, I have to repent, and backtrack all the time because my own unresolved childish responses can get in the way. But we are destined for far more – so we cannot get stuck in the past: Ephesians 4:13, NIV: ‘… until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Let us not let our earlier bumpy life catch us up in childish responses that prevent us from going on into why we are still here on earth! 👋🏻

P 2123 The road to maturity.

/ DVH

Maturity in God happens as we choose to do the things we do not want to do, for His sake. Like loving people, and reaching out to strangers …  by helping them practically, and sharing God’s loving kindness with them. That is the best way I know to stretch our faith and start down the road toward maturity. The church has become so stuck on evangelising people – it has made those people who don’t serve God for a living, feel inadequate!  Evangelists are one of the gifts that have been given to the Body of Christ. If you have that gift you know you have it because telling people they need to be saved comes naturally to you. However, a witness simply tells others what they know about Him and what they have seen for themselves. 

John 4:28-30: “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a Man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward Him…” 38-42 ”…Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.  And because of His words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world.”

This Samaritan woman didn’t give a theological discourse to her village, she just told her neighbours what she heard Him say about her, and her life! I believe that we step into our destiny by actively sharing with others, and that puts us on the road to becoming a mature Christian. But this life is distracting, and so we concentrate on what has happened around us, or to us – instead of intentionally focussing on God’s purpose in our lives. That’s when we miss the blessings He has for us in the middle of the trials and troubles.

God is treating us like His very own precious children. He allows things to come into our lives so we can choose to follow Him through them. Our minute by minute choices to do what He said, or not, count. The trouble with choices is we can make them too quickly, and give in to our emotions – sometimes for convenience sake – without even giving our responses to the difficulties thought. Maturity makes hard choices.

In the bible, the people who love God and serve Him, are either, in trouble, about to get out of trouble or about to get into more trouble. Read the Old Testament! Or read the NEW! Trouble is a sign we are going the right way!! Paul had himself a whole heap of trouble, he was in and out of jail unable to travel sometimes, but he chose to see and learn God’s ways, rather than focus on the liabilities. Meanwhile how could Paul ever know that those difficulties would benefit US? He was just looking after the churches he founded back then. He had no idea his letters about Christ and how to grow in God, would become a book that would reach the entire world! We cannot always understand the purposes and plans of God – that’s why it is called faith. 

Sometimes we miss opportunities to choose to mature because of our immediate needs. This life is full of distractions. Things that need to be done instantly. But when we choose to trust Him above our own understanding that is when we let our faith loose. A transaction occurs inside our spirits and we stand up a little straighter and feel bolder – we actually start owning who we really are by making hard choices. Read Romans 8:31-39. ‘Nothing’ … means even our feelings can’t separate us from Him, unless we give in to them. We belong to Him now, and even though we can be faith-LESS He is always faith-FUL.  You can stake your life on Him. 

Philippians 2:13 says: “For it is [not your strength, but it is] God Who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energising, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfil your purpose] for His good pleasure.”

The Holy Spirit wants us to win. He believes in us. He longs to help us. I exhort us all to step out of the boat of safety onto the waters of change. He will not let us drown. Dust off your testimony about how the Lord Jesus changed your life and tell Him He can call on you whenever He likes. Don’t worry about time – I’ve watched Him stretch my own time, personally. Challenge yourself to find one person today who needs to hear that they are beautiful in Christ’s eyes, they matter to Him, and He loves them dearly. “Shed the love of God in your heart ABROAD …BY FAITH …”👋🏻