Growing To Maturity

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.

John 6:27

One day following the end of World War I, General Louis Lyautey asked his gardener to plant a particular type of tree on his estate. The gardener objected that the tree, being unusually slow to grow, would take nearly a century to reach maturity. “In that case,” the marshal replied, “there is no time to lose. Plant it this afternoon!”

Maturing is a long and sometimes slow process. You don’t need to rely on church for your spiritual food. Rather, take in portions throughout the week—do a personal Bible study, attend a group Bible study, listen to Bible teaching on the radio or watch teaching on TV, be focused on your prayer life. As a child grows into a man, he is ready for solid foods. In the same way, when Christians mature spiritually, they crave deeper satisfaction.

It takes a lifetime of growth to become spiritually mature, but it’s a beautiful and worthwhile process, just as waiting for a tree to blossom. Be patient as you work toward maturity in Christ.