BIBLE READING: HEBREWS 5:11–14 (KJV)
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 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.
EXHORTATION
KEY VERSE:
Hebrews 5:14 (KJV) — “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.”
Welcome to Mercy Speaking Devotional on this blessed Wednesday, September 30. As we come to the end of September, today’s message reminds us that spiritual growth is not complete simply because we have been Christians for a long time. There is a difference between growing older in the faith and growing deeper in the faith. God desires not merely that we remain His children, but that we become mature followers of Christ.
Elisabeth Elliot gives us a remarkable example of what faith can look like when it is tested and allowed to mature. She and her husband, Jim, served as missionaries in Ecuador. On January 8, 1956, Jim and four other missionaries were killed while attempting to make contact with the Waorani people. Two years later, Elisabeth returned to the Ecuadorian jungle with her young daughter Valerie and went to live among the Waorani people, continuing the missionary work. Her later life and ministry were marked by themes of obedience, trust, suffering and forgiveness.
Her story reminds us that spiritual maturity is revealed not merely by what we say when everything is comfortable, but by how we respond when faith becomes costly.
The writer of Hebrews was concerned that some believers had remained spiritually immature when they should have been growing. They still needed to be taught the elementary truths of God’s Word. They were described as needing milk rather than strong meat. The problem was not that they had recently come to Christ; the problem was that their spiritual development had not kept pace with the time they had spent in the faith.
This is an important warning for every Christian.
You can attend church for many years and still struggle with spiritual immaturity. You can know many Bible verses and still be easily offended. You can participate in Christian activities and still refuse correction. You can listen to sermons every week and still make decisions based entirely on your emotions. You can pray regularly and yet remain unwilling to forgive. You can have Christian knowledge without developing Christian character.
Spiritual maturity is seen when God’s Word begins to influence the way we think, speak, decide, respond and relate to others.
The writer says that those who are spiritually mature have their senses “exercised to discern both good and evil.” Notice the word “exercised.” Maturity requires practice. Just as physical strength develops through consistent exercise, spiritual discernment develops through repeated exposure to God’s Word, prayer, obedience and practical application.
You do not become spiritually mature by merely hearing the truth. You become mature as you practise the truth.
A mature Christian learns to ask, “What does God’s Word say?” before asking, “What do I feel?” A mature believer learns to distinguish between what is popular and what is biblical, between what is convenient and what is obedient, and between what looks good outwardly and what is pleasing to God.
Spiritual maturity also changes the way we handle correction. An immature person may become defensive whenever someone points out a weakness. A mature believer may not enjoy correction, but he or she understands that correction can become an instrument of growth. Proverbs 9:9 says, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser.”
Maturity does not mean that you never make mistakes. It means that you are increasingly willing to learn from them.
Peter is a good example. He loved Jesus, but he was impulsive, sometimes spoke without thinking, and eventually denied the Lord three times. Yet Jesus did not abandon him. After the resurrection, Christ restored Peter and entrusted him with responsibility. Peter’s later ministry demonstrated a growing courage, understanding and commitment to Christ.
God is patient with our growth, but He does not intend for us to remain where we started.
Perhaps you have been a Christian for five, ten, twenty or even more years. The important question is not simply, “How long have I been saved?” It is, “What has God been producing in me during those years?”
Are you becoming more patient? Are you becoming more forgiving? Are you learning to control your words? Are you becoming more dependable? Are you growing in prayer? Are you becoming more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit? Are you learning to respond to difficult people with grace? Are you becoming more willing to obey God even when obedience is inconvenient?
These are signs of spiritual development.
Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.” Even Paul understood that there was still room for growth. Spiritual maturity is not the claim that we have arrived. It is the humility to recognise that God is still working in us.
This is why we must never become satisfied with yesterday’s spiritual experience. Yesterday’s prayer cannot replace today’s fellowship with God. Yesterday’s Bible knowledge cannot replace today’s obedience. Yesterday’s victory cannot become an excuse for today’s carelessness.
Every day presents another opportunity to grow.
The goal of spiritual maturity is ultimately Christlikeness. Romans 8:29 tells us that God has predestinated His people “to be conformed to the image of his Son.” God is shaping our character so that the life of Christ becomes increasingly visible in us.
As this month comes to an end, take an honest look at your spiritual journey. Do not compare yourself with another Christian. Look at where you were before and ask what God has changed in you. Then ask what still needs to change.
If you discover weakness, do not become discouraged. Bring it to Christ. If you discover immaturity, do not hide it. Surrender it to God. If you discover that you have stopped growing, return to the Word, return to prayer, return to obedience and return to wholehearted fellowship with Christ.
God has not called you merely to start the Christian journey. He has called you to grow.
Spiritual maturity matters because the more we grow in Christ, the more our lives can reflect Christ.
May God take us beyond spiritual infancy into mature faith, mature character, mature discernment and mature love, until our lives increasingly bring glory to Jesus Christ.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In what area of your Christian life do you need to grow from spiritual infancy into greater maturity?
PRAYER POINTS
1. Heavenly Father, I thank You for saving me, sustaining me and patiently working in my life. Thank You for every lesson, every correction, every victory and every opportunity to grow in Christ.
2. Father, have mercy upon me for every area of spiritual immaturity, disobedience, inconsistency and failure to apply Your Word to my life.
3. Lord, help me to grow deeper in Your Word. Give me understanding, wisdom and spiritual discernment to recognise what is pleasing to You and what is not.
4. Father, develop Christlike character in me. Teach me to become more patient, humble, forgiving, loving, self-controlled and faithful in my daily life.
5. Holy Spirit, help me to respond to correction with humility and to learn from every experience You allow in my life.
6. Lord Jesus, take me beyond spiritual infancy. Help me to become a mature believer whose words, decisions, relationships and conduct consistently reflect Your character.
7. Father, I thank You because You are still working in me. Thank You for the grace to grow, the strength to persevere and the promise that You will continue Your work until it is complete, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
