Think of all the things that the Israelites saw, as God manifested Himself to them in the book of Exodus. 9 plagues, the Passover, the parting of the Red Sea, the destruction of the armies of Egypt, the pillar of fire by night, and the cloud by day, and so much more! Yet, we are reminded in Psalm 95:8 that, they hardened their hearts to what God not only could do, but what He was doing. It is easy to get down on them for this, but we often do similar. Knowledge of truth in and of itself, does not equal spiritual growth and development. Unless our knowledge results in our conforming into the image of Christ, our knowledge is useless. Knowledge without humility leads to pride and destruction. Facts, data, information, and intelligence cannot be equated with spiritual maturity. Truth that fails to change our lives and behavior may in fact be hurtful, hardening us instead of bringing us to maturity. As you learn the truth of the Word of God, you need to take time to pause and reflect on its impact in your heart, and life. While it is true that we may not follow what we … READ MORE

I find that many people entertain mistaken ideas about what spiritual maturity involves. They are not growing as rapidly as they could, or they are caught on a level far below where they should be, because they misunderstand what spiritual maturity is and how one grows in grace. The first thing we need to understand is that spiritual growth has nothing to do with our position in Christ. God sees us in His Son as already perfect (Colossians 2:10), and we have everything we need pertaining to life and godliness according to 2 Peter 1:3. Growth is a process by which that which is true of us positionally becomes more and more a reality in practice as well. Every child is born with all the physical traits that they will get. But in order to achieve their potential, they must develop the physical abilities that they have. It is the choices that these new lives make that help determine their growth and development. Growth is what we aspire to not what we have achieved. Just because a baby has all the systems and physical traits they will have as an adult, they must develop those abilities. As you live your … READ MORE

A Christian is not something you are, it is something you become. You don’t automatically become an adult at a certain age. In order to be an adult, you have to act like an adult. So, too, you do not automatically become a Christian because of going to church, or the family you are born in. In order to be a Christian, you must act like a Christian. This sense of redemptive process is missing in the world around us. The gospel of Christ not only declares that God is active, it describes what He is doing and how He is doing it. The gospel reminds us that God’s primary goal is not our personal happiness, it is nothing short of our becoming a participant in His Divine nature, according to 2 Peter 1:4. It is through the Word of God that we can demonstrate that the very relationships which I struggle and the difficult situations which I would like to escape are the instruments God is using to produce the heart change that will result in a life that is fruitful to His glory. Unless we have an understanding of the problem of indwelling sin and the struggle within, … READ MORE