The Key to Spiritual Maturity

Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

Now, this is amazing. Don’t miss it. It could save you years of wasted living.

What this verse is saying is that if you want to become mature and understand and appreciate the more solid teachings of the word, then the rich, nutritional, precious milk of God’s gospel promises must transform your moral senses — your spiritual mind — so that you can discern between good and evil.

Or, let me put it another way. Getting ready to feast on all God’s word is not first an intellectual challenge; it is first a moral challenge. If you want to eat the solid food of the word, you must exercise your spiritual senses so as to develop a mind that discerns between good and evil. This is a moral challenge, not just intellectual.

The startling truth is that, if you stumble over understanding Melchizedek in Genesis and Hebrews, it may be because you watch questionable TV programs. If you stumble over the doctrine of election, it may be because you still use some shady business practices. If you stumble over the God-centered work of Christ on the cross, it may be because you love money and spend too much and give too little.

The pathway to maturity and to solid biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person. What you do with alcohol and sex and money and leisure and food and computers, and the way you treat other people, has more to do with your capacity for solid food than where you go to school or what books you read.

This is so important because in our highly technological society we are prone to think that education — especially intellectual education — is the key to maturity. There are many Ph.D.’s who choke in their spiritual immaturity on the things of God. And there are many less-educated saints who are deeply mature and can feed with pleasure and profit on the deepest things of God’s word.

John Piper 

The Key to Spiritual Maturity

Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

Now, this is amazing. Don’t miss it. It could save you years of wasted living.

What this verse is saying is that if you want to become mature and understand and appreciate the more solid teachings of the word, then the rich, nutritional, precious milk of God’s gospel promises must transform your moral senses — your spiritual mind — so that you can discern between good and evil.

Or, let me put it another way. Getting ready to feast on all God’s word is not first an intellectual challenge; it is first a moral challenge. If you want to eat the solid food of the word, you must exercise your spiritual senses so as to develop a mind that discerns between good and evil. This is a moral challenge, not just intellectual.

The startling truth is that, if you stumble over understanding Melchizedek in Genesis and Hebrews, it may be because you watch questionable TV programs. If you stumble over the doctrine of election, it may be because you still use some shady business practices. If you stumble over the God-centered work of Christ on the cross, it may be because you love money and spend too much and give too little.

The pathway to maturity and to solid biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person. What you do with alcohol and sex and money and leisure and food and computers, and the way you treat other people, has more to do with your capacity for solid food than where you go to school or what books you read.

This is so important because in our highly technological society we are prone to think that education — especially intellectual education — is the key to maturity. There are many Ph.D.’s who choke in their spiritual immaturity on the things of God. And there are many less-educated saints who are deeply mature and can feed with pleasure and profit on the deepest things of God’s word.

John Piper 

Maturity in Christian Leadership

PRAY OVER THIS

“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:4

 

PONDER THIS

A mango, to be the sweet fruit that we know, must be sun-ripened, not ripened on the shelf in your house. There’s something different about those that are mature.

Have you ever seen any Christians that were “picked green”? They never mature. Sometimes a young preacher will show giftedness, ability, and the natural gift of preaching. He has a good vocabulary, and he has some convictions. So many times, he is put on the stage to preach his handful of sermons, then you later learn he failed, he fell, and he disgraced the Lord. What was the problem? He was picked green. The church must be careful not to promote individuals to leadership too quickly lest those leaders be lifted up, tempted with pride, and fall under the condemnation of the devil.

What are some things that help people mature in their faith?

Who do you know who is mature in their faith? What is some evidence of their maturity?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a pastor or leader in your church about what it means to be a mature Christian.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How Spiritually Healthy Are You?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97

 

PONDER THIS

My wife gives me brewer's yeast every morning for the vitamins in it. And then on top of that, bee pollen. Then a fist full of vitamins and then two-percent milk. At first, these habits were foreign, and I did not have a taste for them, but over time my appetite has changed and I've learned to like it.

If you get on a regimen of eating right, it’ll change you. And if you get on a regimen of getting into the Word of God and feeding your soul, the change may not be immediate and dramatic, but it will change you for eternity. We need to have quality quiet time.

This is how I prepare my heart for the presence of God. First, take a deep breath. Focus your thoughts on the Lord, then look up and lift your hands to Him. When you lift your hands in praise say, “Lord, I praise You and only You.” Then, lift your hands again and say, “Lord, I surrender! I am under Your control.” And then lift your hands a third time and say, “Lord, I receive,” as you’re expecting to receive something. Over time, I hope this will tune your heart to think about the presence of God.

Do you spend dedicated time in the Word regularly? Why or why not?

How can you include time with the Lord as a part of your everyday life?

PRACTICE THIS

If you don’t already have this, add time with the Lord in the Word as a part of your rhythm this week.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Growing into Spiritual Parenthood?

PRAY OVER THIS

“I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.” 1 John 2:13-14

 

PONDER THIS

What do spiritual parents do? One major thing they do is reproduce through soul-winning and discipleship. Are you sharing your faith? Can you be called a father or mother if you don’t have any spiritual children? I’m not just talking about getting wiser. I’m talking about winning souls and reproducing yourself in soul-winning and discipleship. What does a father do? A father not only meets his own needs; he provides for the needs of others. Do people go to you when they have a heartache, a tear, a fear, or a problem?

As you grow and you become a father, you do not substitute fatherhood for young manhood, and you don’t substitute young manhood for childhood. All three are legitimate, and a father is a composite of them all. In a father, there ought to be the vision and the zeal of a young man. And in a young man, there ought to be the wonder of childhood. If you’re perfectly whole, all of those will be in you.

Who is a spiritual parent to you? In what ways has that person invested in you?

Is it easy or difficult for you to share your faith with the next generation? Why do you feel this way?

PRACTICE THIS

Thank a person who has been like a spiritual parent to you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Grow Into Spiritual Maturity

PRAY OVER THIS

“I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.” 1 John 2:12

 

PONDER THIS

When people become newborn babes in Christ, what does that look like? They are thrilled at knowing Jesus. They bless God that their sins are forgiven, buried in the grave of God’s forgetfulness. They have all tomorrows, and no yesterdays, and they are thrilled.

But the little child lives in the realm of his feelings. He is just thrilled with everything. He hasn’t lost the wonder yet. And it’s wonderful to be a little child. Maybe you’re a little child. Maybe you’ve been saved in the last year, in the last six months, or just last week, and you just can’t get over it. All your sin, not in part, but the whole, has been forgiven. And you rejoice in forgiven sin. Even though little children are wonderful, we don’t want them to stay little children. We want them to grow out of the habits of a child such as selfishness, laziness, and rudeness. A child needs to develop and become an active contributor to society. You need to grow in maturity, out of childish ways, and deeper into maturity in Christ.

What can you do to keep the wonder of childhood, that joy in knowing you’re forgiven, but continue to grow in your faith?

What are some roadblocks you face as you seek to grow in maturity in Christ?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray for those in spiritual infancy to grow into maturity in Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Becoming More Like Jesus?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:13 

 

PONDER THIS

You can be spiritually healthy and not mature. A five-year old child can be healthier than a fifty-year old man, but he is not mature. If you’re a newborn babe and you’re rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re healthy. But that does not mean you do not need to go on and mature. You can be gifted and not mature. These things without maturity create a lot of problems.

What is maturity? Maturity is Christlikeness. Maturity is being like Jesus. That word “perfect” in our verse today means, “mature.” Paul was saying, “The goal of my ministry is to present every person as a mature Christian.” That’s the goal of my ministry. I thank God for church buildings. I thank God for Sunday School attendance. I thank God for church budgets. But all of that is splendid nothing without you growing in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What is the goal of ministry, and what is the measurement of ministry? It’s very simple: Are people becoming more like the Lord Jesus Christ?

According to this definition, how are you maturing in your relationship with Christ?

What is challenging about maturing in faith?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a prayer partner and ask that person to pray for you to grow in spiritual maturity.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Key to Spiritual Maturity

Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

Now, this is amazing. Don’t miss it. It could save you years of wasted living.

What this verse is saying is that if you want to become mature and understand and appreciate the more solid teachings of the word, then the rich, nutritional, precious milk of God’s gospel promises must transform your moral senses — your spiritual mind — so that you can discern between good and evil.

Or, let me put it another way. Getting ready to feast on all God’s word is not first an intellectual challenge; it is first a moral challenge. If you want to eat the solid food of the word, you must exercise your spiritual senses so as to develop a mind that discerns between good and evil. This is a moral challenge, not just intellectual.

The startling truth is that, if you stumble over understanding Melchizedek in Genesis and Hebrews, it may be because you watch questionable TV programs. If you stumble over the doctrine of election, it may be because you still use some shady business practices. If you stumble over the God-centered work of Christ on the cross, it may be because you love money and spend too much and give too little.

The pathway to maturity and to solid biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person. What you do with alcohol and sex and money and leisure and food and computers, and the way you treat other people, has more to do with your capacity for solid food than where you go to school or what books you read.

This is so important because in our highly technological society we are prone to think that education — especially intellectual education — is the key to maturity. There are many Ph.D.’s who choke in their spiritual immaturity on the things of God. And there are many less-educated saints who are deeply mature and can feed with pleasure and profit on the deepest things of God’s word.

John Piper 

Are You Maturing in Jesus?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

James 1:3-4

 

PONDER THIS

Suppose you’re running a 100-yard dash and you’re 10 yards ahead of everybody else and three feet from the goal, but you quit. It doesn’t matter how far ahead you were; you just lost the race. You’re never a failure until you quit.

What does God want out of you? God wants you to be a full-grown Christian. He wants you to be mature. There is no maturity without patience and no patience without trials. But if you’re not mature, you’re not like the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says God wants to bring you to the fullness of Christ. And the way He does that is by allowing you to have trials and tribulations so that you might be mature. Are children patient? Of course not! Anybody who has children knows children don’t know the difference between “no” and “not yet.” If you just say, “Wait a while” to them, it might as well be “No!” They want it now! But God is interested in growing you up and making you mature. The only way you’ll learn maturity is through tribulation that leads to patience.

When have you needed endurance in a trial?

What were some moments in your life that have helped you mature in your faith?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and ask God to show you the areas where you need to mature.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Key to Spiritual Maturity

Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

Now, this is amazing. Don’t miss it. It could save you years of wasted living.

What this verse is saying is that if you want to become mature and understand and appreciate the more solid teachings of the word, then the rich, nutritional, precious milk of God’s gospel promises must transform your moral senses — your spiritual mind — so that you can discern between good and evil.

Or, let me put it another way. Getting ready to feast on all God’s word is not first an intellectual challenge; it is first a moral challenge. If you want to eat the solid food of the word, you must exercise your spiritual senses so as to develop a mind that discerns between good and evil. This is a moral challenge, not just intellectual.

The startling truth is that, if you stumble over understanding Melchizedek in Genesis and Hebrews, it may be because you watch questionable TV programs. If you stumble over the doctrine of election, it may be because you still use some shady business practices. If you stumble over the God-centered work of Christ on the cross, it may be because you love money and spend too much and give too little.

The pathway to maturity and to solid biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person. What you do with alcohol and sex and money and leisure and food and computers, and the way you treat other people, has more to do with your capacity for solid food than where you go to school or what books you read.

This is so important because in our highly technological society we are prone to think that education — especially intellectual education — is the key to maturity. There are many Ph.D.’s who choke in their spiritual immaturity on the things of God. And there are many less-educated saints who are deeply mature and can feed with pleasure and profit on the deepest things of God’s word.

John Piper 

The Key to Spiritual Maturity

Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

Now, this is amazing. Don’t miss it. It could save you years of wasted living.

What this verse is saying is that if you want to become mature and understand and appreciate the more solid teachings of the word, then the rich, nutritional, precious milk of God’s gospel promises must transform your moral senses — your spiritual mind — so that you can discern between good and evil.

Or, let me put it another way. Getting ready to feast on all God’s word is not first an intellectual challenge; it is first a moral challenge. If you want to eat the solid food of the word, you must exercise your spiritual senses so as to develop a mind that discerns between good and evil. This is a moral challenge, not just intellectual.

The startling truth is that, if you stumble over understanding Melchizedek in Genesis and Hebrews, it may be because you watch questionable TV programs. If you stumble over the doctrine of election, it may be because you still use some shady business practices. If you stumble over the God-centered work of Christ on the cross, it may be because you love money and spend too much and give too little.

The pathway to maturity and to solid biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person. What you do with alcohol and sex and money and leisure and food and computers, and the way you treat other people, has more to do with your capacity for solid food than where you go to school or what books you read.

This is so important because in our highly technological society we are prone to think that education — especially intellectual education — is the key to maturity. There are many Ph.D.’s who choke in their spiritual immaturity on the things of God. And there are many less-educated saints who are deeply mature and can feed with pleasure and profit on the deepest things of God’s word.

John Piper 

Are You Spiritually Grown?

PRAY OVER THIS

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

PONDER THIS

Scripture is the breath of God. It is as true as if God Almighty stood in the pulpit and spoke these words. That’s the reason Jesus said in Matthew 4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Over and over again the Bible calls itself the Word of God.

In light of this truth, let’s break down today’s verse: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (what is true), for reproof (what is wrong), for correction (how to get right), for instruction in righteousness (how to stay right); that the man of God may be complete (that word complete or teleos in Greek, means mature).” You want to be a full-grown Christian? Your Christian life depends upon your assurance that the Bible is the Word of God.

Are you more likely to look to the Bible as your source of Truth or somewhere else?

How does this shape the direction of our lives? How is God calling you to respond in light of today’s devotion?

PRACTICE THIS

Read this verse multiple times throughout today and reflect on the absolute truth of the Bible that equips us for everything we need in life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers