Crawling to Maturity

But grow in grace, and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ.
II Peter 3:18

I just saw an advertisement on television, one I've seen in one form or another before. The products may change in name, but all feature a baby under the age of one. Each of the babies I've seen only have a diaper on...the purpose of the advertisement. With each baby's cuteness, there is a brand-name diaper on the baby's little bottom. Each of the babies have something in common. As they crawl, often as fast as they can go, each little head is tilted upward with the biggest smile of accomplishment they can show. Once that crawling motion is learned, babies love to go full speed across a floor.

Parents often wonder if their crawlers will ever “toddle.” What most first time parents don't realize is that once their toddler learns and masters walking, they will be equipt to walk out of their home some day as young adults who seemingly grew up much to fast. As I sat watching a couple of such advertisements this evening, I thought back to three little crawlers I once had crawling across floors in my house. I must say, however, that they usually had more clothes on than just a diaper. I remember though that they had the same smiling looks of satisfaction.

Babies go from milk to junior foods and then table food. We wouldn't dare give a 5 month old baby a chicken leg or pork chop to chew on. An orderly progression of food and beverage for a baby is required or some serious conditions could result. Maturity is intended to be a measured thing that occurs at a steady pace.

Baby Christians go through some of the same stages in their spiritual lives as small babies do in their beginning months and years. I have always loved observing new Christians. They are excited to learn about the Bible, they have an enthusiasm that many mature Christians have since lost in their spiritual walks. Those babes in Christ study their Bibles, attend church as often as possible and even witness to others with no fear of criticism. Their spiritual enthusiasm is to be admired and personally attained to.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church from Ephesus. As we view the information we know about Corinth of Paul's day, it might remind us of any number of large cities in our own country. It was a major center where art, culture and commerce abounded. Along with all of those positive qualities came the reputation that sexual immorality was deeply ingrained in Corinth. Paul had received information that immorality and other vices had made their way into the church at Corinth. He loved this church, but in both books Paul wrote to those in Corinth, it is easy to see his great disappointment in the sinful condition of the church with apparently little concern on the part of most members to make corrections there.

Many of the members of the church in Corinth had found Christ as Savior under the preaching and teaching of Paul. Even the strongest of Christians in that church had become infected with sinful attitudes or actions of others or had become calloused regarding sin. Their enthusiastic baby days where they grew fast and steady seemed to have gone by the wayside. They should have by now been mature and still growing. Paul felt like he had to start all over with them. He said to them:

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you
as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as
unto babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat:
for hitherto ye were not able to bear it,
neither yet now are ye able.
I Corinthians 3:1,2

Notice in these verses that Paul begins by speaking to them as “brethren.” This means he was speaking to Christians, not non-Christians. Christians can get so caught up in the things of the world that their spiritual growth is stunted and for some, it may mean almost starting all over in “crawling” enthusiastically back to where they should be. Paul was having to feed them with the milk of the Word. They had lost the ability to eat the heavier meat of the Word. At Paul's writing, he says that the people still aren't able to eat the heavier meat God wants to provide. How very sad to have lost all that ground, but all hope was not gone. Hope is never gone for us as well if we have slipped backward. Paul held out hope for those in Corinth or he wouldn't have wasted time writing so lovingly in depth to the members of that church.

The writer to the Hebrews also addressed this thing of spiritual maturity. He doesn't appear to be reprimanding the people where they were, but was defining the difference between the babies in Christ and those who had matured to full age of their faith. The baby in Christ is the beginner, taking in spiritual milk with great vigor, like those crawling babies with smiles and eager anticipation of growing to the next step. He then speaks of the needs of the mature Christian who requires more than milk but requires stronger for for continued growth.

For every one that useth milk is unskillful
in the word of righteousness:
for he is a babe.
But strong meat belongeth to them that
are of full age, even those who by
reason of use have their senses exercised
to discern both good and evil.
Hebrews 5:13,14

Real life, crawling, giggling, drooling babies are cute as can be. We love their energy and enthusiasm, but we also know they are in a growing process that is on going and so fun to watch. That ability to crawl is the beginning of a baby reaching physical maturity and standing on two feet. Baby Christians, too, are fun to watch, but not if they are still spiritually crawling after ten years. This happens to many folks where growth comes to a stand still, is stymied for some reasons, those reasons that usually boil down to sin problems.

Oh that you and I might be among those that the above writer speaks of as being “of full age,” who are able to take in the strong meat of the Word, who exercise their senses “to discern BOTH good and evil.” What is our spiritual age...still crawling... or... moving forward on two feet at a steady pace toward more and more maturity in Christ?

Dear Holy Spirit, continue to convict me of my sin, but encourage me through the Word that I will pay attention to Your voice as I read. May I willingly yield to your promptings whether in the Word or just in the everyday events of life. Heavenly Father, I want to grow spiritually that I may please You. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

Wilderness Days

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness.
All I have to do is follow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness.
All I have to do is follow.
Strength for today, is mine all the way,
And all that I need for tomorrow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness.
All I have to do is follow.

Most of us probably sang the above chorus when coming up through Sunday school or Vacation Bible School. It has a catchy tune to it and the words are great, however, I must admit that I had no idea back then where the “wilderness” was or even what it was. Since those childhood days, however, I must admit that I have become acquainted with what a wilderness time can be in life.

People who love nature of any kind would describe the wilderness as being one or more of the following: desert, wasteland, uninhabited, uncultivated or abandoned of human or other animal life. The wilderness is often spoken of in the Bible. Many people found themselves in wilderness areas and I haven't found any who loved that particular area they found themselves in. Abraham sent Hagar and their young son into the wilderness. Sarah had insisted that they be sent away. God's people, the Israelites were allowed to return to their homeland, but had a long journey to take through the wilderness to get there. Two of my favorite people from Scripture found themselves in desert places....Moses in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament.

Moses had gone from Egyptian royalty to watching sheep in a wilderness area. Could anything good come from such an experience for one who had known the best of everything his entire life? I'm sure there were days when Moses wondered. However, God spoke to Moses in a very clear way in that area where He had Moses' undivided attention. Moses could never have imagined what God had in store for him in future days of leading His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness.

Jesus had just been baptized and was on the brink of His public ministry. There was no big celebration, ordination or large groups of people to wish Him well. Surprisingly, we read in Matthew 4:

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into
the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

It doesn't look like the best onset of one's ministry, but it was the leading of the Holy Spirit that took Jesus into the wilderness where He was tested in every area of His being. God may at times lead us into desert places so that He has our undivided attention. Jesus was tested physically, emotionally and spiritually and responded to Satan with Scriptures that answered Satan's enticements. Jesus passed every test, for Satan gave up and left, at least for the time being.

In Scripture, we find when one goes through a wilderness experience, God has something special in the way of ministry just ahead. When in the wilderness, it's hard to see, but God sees down the wilderness road when we can't.

Let's compare what we can experience in a spiritual wilderness experience as we view our characteristics of a wilderness:

Desert - we can find ourselves dried up spiritually
Uninhabited – in our wilderness, it is lonely even though we may be surrounded by people.
Uncultivated – When in our wilderness, it may seem there is no growth taking place.
Wasteland – We find nothing scenic, of interest or beauty when in our wasteland

God didn't take Jesus or Moses to the wilderness to destroy or ruin their lives. God had wonderful things of ministry in store for them. Whether them or us, trust in God is strengthened or broken in the wilderness. For Moses and Jesus, trust was increased. How did they do it? Jesus trusted His Father but we have to remember that He was human, tempted in all ways that we are.

Moses had gone from riches to being a common, ordinary person keeping sheep in the wilderness. That's quite a fall down the ladder of living. God spoke to him through a burning bush, placing His call on Moses' life. God saw in Moses qualities he could never see in himself. Little did Moses know, but when he led God's people away from Egypt into the wilderness, he would spend the rest of his life in the wilderness except for a brief glance at the end of the journey into the Promises land. How did he manage that? He stayed in communication with God. Moses wasn't perfect and made his share of mistakes, but still maintained a trust in God. God had enough trust in Moses to entrust him with His own laws He wanted passed along to the people.

For the last few months, I have felt in a wilderness situation. I can't tell you what the Scriptures have meant to me during this time. I've read in my Bible by the hour. Sometimes when exhausted, I've just held my Bible in my lap. Whatever the condition of this wilderness, with God's help, I want to see new life come forth from what has been desert-like. I also have seen the importance of staying in close communication with my Heavenly Father. He is the One who knows the way I should take through any wilderness I find myself in. I don't want to waste this time but want to learn what God wants me to learn, trusting Him to work good from this time.

All of us who are God's children will sometime go through a wilderness experience. We shouldn't panic when it happens. We must begin praying and getting into the Word.
Whatever your wilderness experience right now, stay in the Word, be honest with God in your praying. Moses' honesty with God about his lack of qualifications didn't make God angry. He knew better than Moses his capabilities. Know the Word well enough to give Satan chase. Although our wilderness times may be lonely, God is always there, closer than we can imagine. He knows the way through your wilderness as well as He does through mine.

Dear Father...I praise you for choosing to use me in ways that only You can. May I keep my eyes on you as I follow You while allowing You to lead in my life. I want to learn everything You want me to learn through any wilderness time. In Jesus' precious name...Amen

On Purpose

But Daniel purposed in his heart
that he would not defile himself with the
portion of the king's meat, nor with
the wine which he drank...
Daniel 1:8a

Many a time when I was very little, I found myself using those two words...”on purpose.” I wasn't fully aware of what those words really meant, but I quickly learned from other neighborhood friends that when I did something wrong and my Mother asked me about it, I could say, “I didn't do it on purpose.” A lot of the time, the moms of my friends seemed to be sympathetic to their plight. It was so unfair though, that my Mother usually didn't buy that statement like other mothers did. With a little age, I learned what the statement meant.

Every time I read the first chapter of Daniel and come to verse 8, I quickly recall those days of not fully knowing what “on purpose” meant. Daniel with friends had been taken into captivity along with the other Israelites. The culture of the Babylonians was as different as night from day compared to life in their homeland. The Jews had very strict dietary laws. Knowing how the heathen Babylonians lived, Daniel made a decision that no matter where he was in that time of captivity, he would not do the usual...conforming to that society.

The thing that was important to Daniel was this. He had made a firm decision ahead of time that he would not fit in with his new land of captivity. In refusing to conform, he was risking his own life. For Daniel, it wasn't a matter of showing off, being prideful or being deliberately a problem to his superiors. Daniel knew God's law. He knew the dietary laws as prescribed by God like he knew the back of his hand, and no matter the surroundings he found himself in, he was determined to be obedient to God.

Through all the difficulties he and his friends had to endure, God honored them in wonderful ways. Daniel became a major leader in the land and even as he grew into adulthood, he still maintained his personal, spiritual habits. This didn't get easier. Daniel was a man of prayer. He had maintained a habit of daily prayer, same time, same place, by his own window facing home. Even then, enemies reported Daniel to the King. They had already manipulated the King into passing a law that prayer to anyone other than the king and his gods were illegal. When reported, Daniel still maintained his habit of prayer that put him in a den of lions. How's that for capital punishment?

In both instances in Daniel's life, he maintained standards that he had decided upon ahead of time. When you and I have this kind of pattern regarding personal principles, when tough decision time comes, the decisions will not be as hard to make. Obedience should come with very little debate.

You and I live in an evil world. We are surrounded by open sin that 50 years ago would have not been public at all. One of the biggest sins in my high school was if any girls went out in a car to smoke a cigarette. Movies were tame. I'm not sure I would have known about it, but I never knew of a fellow student getting drunk...or a teenager running away from home.

The picture is different in our day. Sin of every type is running rampant with, in many cases, approval by the government and even some large Christian denominations. We are faced on every side with temptation of every kind and in many cases, Christians have allowed their own personal principles to be compromised.

Very often, we Christians take the attitude that we are immune to temptation and overall attacks by Satan, but we aren't. Even at whatever ages or stages you and I find ourselves, things we purpose to do or not do will often give us strength when times of temptation come. It's never too late to “purpose in our hearts” to do or not do those things that please Jesus. Let me be quick to say that there is a difference between preference and principle. We should be willing to die if necessary for spiritual principle, but preference is a different thing. Be sure to know the difference. Preference has to do with those things we like or prefer on a personal basis that have no direct Bible command. Principles may have to do with strong moral issues and/or the commands of Scripture, where we have no choice but to obey or disobey God.

Why are many Christians lax in their church attendance? They've never PURPOSED in their hearts that it's a priority, so therefore, every Sunday when they wake up, they debate if they're going to go on that particular morning. I can honestly say in that our home, I have never heard, even during child rearing days, “Are we going to church today/tonight?” It was purposed during our engagement that church attendance would never be a point of debate.

Whether it has to do with regular Bible reading, grooming habits, health (yearly checkups that I dread), choice of friends, etc. it all comes to personal decisions that we put into consistent practice after we've decided ahead of time to stay our course.

We all make up God's church. Little by little we have come to tolerate things in our churches that shouldn't be there. Any misuse of the Scriptures should never be tolerated even to the point of walking out if need be. A large protestant denomination recently approved same-sex marriages while the Word of God speaks very specifically against it, so that denomination has put their stamp of approval on sin. You and I must stay alert to those things, especially

Scriptural, that are doing damage to the churches we belong to.

Daniel made decisions ahead of time verbally and in his personal lifestyle as to how he would maintain a strong spiritual balance in his life. What are some things in our lives we need to purpose in our hearts to do and be that with God's empowering, we will please Him in all we are.

Thank You Father, for the example of Daniel who to this day encourages us to fortify ourselves against the ways of the world. May we be strong in You to live a life pleasing to You that is a strong witness for You. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

Dancin' On My Last Nerve

Casting all your care upon him;
for He careth for you.
I Peter 5:7

Ever have days with frayed nerves? If you haven't, you are a most unusual human being. Our bodies in the physical sense are full of networks of nerves. Many nerves find their way to the surface of the skin and they definitely play their role in the protection and overall health of the human body. Burn your finger and you'll learn almost immediately how active nerve cells are as they notify you that something bad just happened and your finger is quietly crying out in pain.

My first recognition of nerve endings in my body was when I was six years old. We had a huge round coal burning stove in our living room. It was our main source of heat in our house in those days. One day, I stood a little too near the stove just looking at it. My Mother immediately sensed that there was probably a problem in the making. She quietly warned me about not touching the stove as it could hurt me. I can remember like it was yesterday that when she went into the kitchen, I ventured forth and touched the four fingers of my right hand on that stove. My scream brought my Mother running from the kitchen with her butter dish in hand. She knew what had happened and in those days, butter was the remedy of the day for bad burns.

However, the title of this article doesn't refer to one's physical being, but to the emotional and spiritual state of an individual. I can't count, the many times through the last many years of teaching and being with women, that I've heard some moms sternly reprimand children by saying.”You are dancing on my last nerve.” That was meant to be a warning to children that a serious scene was about to unfold. There have been times when I felt with those moms who had just “had it” with one or more of her children. Most moms reach that point at one time or another.

We are living in a very tense world. People are losing jobs, houses, and a way of life because of our country's economy. Many friends who read this blog in other countries, often face harassment and persecution for their faith. We are witnessing a moral collapse in our own country. We are seeing our churches in a state of compromise with the world. We are finding acceptance of things immoral that years ago would only have been spoken of in whispers and kept hidden. We also may find that we are our own worst enemies. When going through times of tension, we generally take on more responsibilities and commitments that contribute to our running on “overload.”

Books are being written by the hundreds and even thousands on the topics of stress and tension. Some have put readers on guilt trips while others are so simplistic, it would appear they are written for first graders. When I'm going through a stressful time, to be honest, I don't need a book from a Bible book store unless it's a copy of the Bible. Some helpful books have been written, but if they aren't backed up with Scripture,. they aren't worth much. Anyone, if honest with ones self, knows what her problems and concerns are and even know most of the time what needs to be done to solve them.

Being a social worker for some years, I came across a lot of folks with stress difficulties. I found such ones struggling with one or more of the following:

Tension
Nervousness
Worry
Frustration

There may have been others but these four were some of the main concerns. When struggling with these things, the problems are very real for the person experiencing them. When talking with a struggling person, I often asked some of the following questions:

How much quality time are you spending with the Lord in prayer and Bible reading?
Are you spending time with encouragers who are strong in the Lord?
Are your friendships beneficial or do you need one or two new ones?
How full is your schedule? Whatever it is, cut it by a third immediately. You may think that can't be done....OHHH, yes it can.
Are you feeding your body quality foods?
Do you do anything for yourself on a daily basis, and when was the last time you had a really good laugh.
When was the last time you had a good physical checkup? There may be a clinical problem a doctor can help with by prescribing a medication or advising steps that can be taken to assist with the problem.

I'm not saying these things are answers for they sound simplistic. It is the consideration of simple things that can be a start. I read of a Christian psychiatrist who often wrote prescriptions for tense, nerve-wracked patients. On the prescription pad he wrote: “Read Philippians 4 three times a day for one month. At the end of that time, return for a follow up visit.” Philippians 4 is packed with wonderful godly principles for everyday living when put into practice.

One last thing I suggested to some friends on this subject was this:

LIVE IN THE MOMENT

Too often, we live in a different day, different moment. Some folks live in the past where things have hurt and disappointed them...things they can no longer do anything about. Others live in tomorrows. How often have I spent a whole day worrying about something that might happen next week or next month. Either way, we miss opportunities to make the very best of the day we are living in.

We have control over our thoughts and emotions more than we think we do. Sometimes, it may be as simple as going into a room alone to take a few deep breaths. God gives us tools in His Word that can benefit us. Somehow, at times, we feel when going through a tense time, that God isn't present or interested. We often get so used to finding our own solutions that God is left out. We are encouraged to be people of prayer and spend time in God's Word. These aren't magic charms, but must be approached with sincerity. In both cases, we are strengthened beyond our expectations to take on the things of every day life and our Heavenly Father wants to be a part of it all.

Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6,7

Dear Father, Help me on those days when my nerves are frazzled, patience is slack and I'm not pleasant to be around. No matter the causes, may I cast whatever burdens I have on You knowing that You are my strength and sanity. In Jesus precious name...Amen