Daily Devotionals
november 17, 2021
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Colossians 1:28-29
I don’t remember exactly when it happened. One day I was standing next to my older son and realized he was taller than I. A few years later, my younger son passed not only me but also his older brother in height. Watching them grow physically is miraculous to me. I keep growing but only in my midsection. I also don’t remember exactly when it happened that they both became smarter than I. Perhaps it was when I was reading something one of them had written for a class, and I kept having to go to the dictionary to look up words. Or maybe it was in the midst of a conversation where I realized I couldn’t keep up with them. While there are still a few subjects where I’m the expert in the house, for the most part I resign myself to their growth and maturity as having surpassed me in many areas. Paul told the Colossians that spiritual maturity was what he longed to see in them. In fact, he mentions that he “strenuously contends with all the energy (of) Christ” to help bring it about. Paul says that our goal should be for everyone, each person, to become “mature in Christ.” That is not about being taller or smarter. It means that we are growing each day, little by little, into the full and complete likeness of Jesus. Growth and maturity aren’t always perceptible on a daily basis. But often as we look back over time, perhaps over a season in our lives, we can see how God was at work helping us to grow. As we welcome God’s Holy Spirit into our lives and ask specifically for wisdom, we are guided to make decisions and choices that draw us into a deeper and more intimate relationship with the God who made us. Fully mature in Christ–I’m not there yet. But I’m closer than I was last year and ten years ago and twenty years ago. I can’t remember exactly when that happened. But I celebrate that God is forming me and shaping me to be more like Him.
For Reflection
How are you more mature in your faith today than you were one year ago? Than ten years ago?
What practices help you to grow more mature in your faith?
Prayer
God, thank You for helping me to grow and mature in my spiritual walk. I invite You to send Your Holy Spirit to guide me in that growth today and every day. Amen.
Follow Us