Day 268

Isaiah 45:11–48:11; Ephesians 4:1-16; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 24:3-4

MOST CHILDREN IMAGINE what their lives will be like when they mature. “When I grow up, I’m going to take care of animals,” they’ll say. Or “When I grow up, I’m going to be a teacher.” Paul talked about growing up in today’s reading, and while he was in chains, he begged his readers to lead a life worthy of God’s calling:

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

To live into the description Paul proposed requires a level of maturity that we may not possess, even as adults. We have some growing up to do.

How do we mature into men and women who are worthy of God’s calling? For Paul, becoming spiritually mature was more than a solitary endeavor that would only happen by chance. Rather, God gave gifts to help: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Their role was —and is —to equip and build the church (God’s people). According to Paul, this is part of the process, and “this will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

The good news is that we can grow up and that we are expected to grow up. But grow into the “standard of Christ”? What does that even mean?

The word standard would literally translate to “a fully mature and respected person.” This is what we are growing into: fully mature and respected people of Christ who bear and live up to His standard.

Now that we know this, we should be thinking about it. Growing up happens on many levels and at different stages. What we are ultimately seeking when we consider our spiritual growth is union with God. We want to become more aware of His presence. We want to more fully understand what is going on and why we are in this story called life.

As we move further and further in this direction, we understand more and more. Thankfully, Paul gave us a picture of what is happening:

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

According to Paul, this union we seek with God, this awareness of His presence, is found in becoming mature and respected people of Christ —people who are “growing in every way more and more like Christ.” In other words, people who are becoming like Jesus.

That this is even possible is almost too good to be true. Think about it. When we grow up, we will be like Jesus. If Paul was right, this is our destiny.

MEDITATION:

A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.