...but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head --Christ-- Eph 4:15 (NKJV)
How long did it take you to grow up? Let's even break it down further to some milestones ... how long did it take you to fully learn how to walk? How long did it take you to learn grammar, syntax and word usage? How long did it take you to learn to drive a car?
Growing up takes time. We sometimes make several mistakes when we are looking at ourselves. One is, we look at things too closely. What I mean by that is we look at our spiritual growth and we compare where we are today to where we were last week. That's too short of time span. If we do that, we can easily fall prey to the belief we are not progressing or we are not really a child of God. In other words, I can ask myself "Am I growing? Am I more like Christ than I was last week?". The answer may be "no" or "maybe a little". But if I ask myself "am I more like Christ than I was last year?" the answer would be "yes". Learn to look at things from a longer term point of view because God looks at things from an eternal perspective.
We can also fall prey to a spirit of perfectionism where when we make a mistake or stumble, we beat ourselves without mercy. We can be in a position where we fail to extend grace to ourselves. That doesn't mean we treat sin lightly, but it means we recognize we are not perfect and we are very prone to stray and sin. Sometimes, you can tell a person who is doing this because they appear angry for no apparent reason. It can be a sign that they are really mad at themselves. Learn to forgive yourself as well as forgive others.
Learn to look at things from the perspective that you are learning. It takes time to put to death the deeds of the flesh. It takes time to learn to walk. Don't fall into the trap of trying to sanctify yourself. If you could do it on your own, you wouldn't need Jesus.
Copyright © 2006 Greg Holl. All rights reserved.
How long did it take you to grow up? Let's even break it down further to some milestones ... how long did it take you to fully learn how to walk? How long did it take you to learn grammar, syntax and word usage? How long did it take you to learn to drive a car?
Growing up takes time. We sometimes make several mistakes when we are looking at ourselves. One is, we look at things too closely. What I mean by that is we look at our spiritual growth and we compare where we are today to where we were last week. That's too short of time span. If we do that, we can easily fall prey to the belief we are not progressing or we are not really a child of God. In other words, I can ask myself "Am I growing? Am I more like Christ than I was last week?". The answer may be "no" or "maybe a little". But if I ask myself "am I more like Christ than I was last year?" the answer would be "yes". Learn to look at things from a longer term point of view because God looks at things from an eternal perspective.
We can also fall prey to a spirit of perfectionism where when we make a mistake or stumble, we beat ourselves without mercy. We can be in a position where we fail to extend grace to ourselves. That doesn't mean we treat sin lightly, but it means we recognize we are not perfect and we are very prone to stray and sin. Sometimes, you can tell a person who is doing this because they appear angry for no apparent reason. It can be a sign that they are really mad at themselves. Learn to forgive yourself as well as forgive others.
Learn to look at things from the perspective that you are learning. It takes time to put to death the deeds of the flesh. It takes time to learn to walk. Don't fall into the trap of trying to sanctify yourself. If you could do it on your own, you wouldn't need Jesus.
Copyright © 2006 Greg Holl. All rights reserved.
