January 16
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GROW UP IN ALL ASPECTS INTO CHRIST
14As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
-Ephesians 4:14-16
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Paul addresses the issue of immaturity in the church in this letter to the Ephesians. In verse 14, he challenges the believers to grow up and give up their childish ways of wavering back and forth with their faith and how easily they fall into the tactics of unregenerate or worldly people with their craftiness and deceitfulness. In verse 15, he speaks of the importance of speaking truth in a loving and gentle way. He also wants believers to be responsible for growing themselves up in all the aspects of their lives, ensuring that they are serving Christ, who is their head. In verse 16, he reminds them that each member of the body of Christ has their own responsibility to grow themselves into the building of each other up so that the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified.
Guzik comments on “speaking the truth in love as referring to not only how we are to relate to one another in God’s family, but also to how leaders and saints are to deal with deceivers. We should deal with them in love, but never budging from the truth. He also comments on maturity is described in this chapter. It is like growing up into Jesus, who is the head. Again, this defines the direction of maturity. We never grow “independent” of Jesus, we grow up into Him.
Spurgeon says that “A church that is only united in itself, but not united to Christ, is no living church at all. You may attain to the unity of the frost-bound earth in which men and women are frozen together with the cold proprieties of aristocracy, but it is not the unity of life.”
All Christians are all called to be accountable for their growth. So many believers rely on their pastors, leaders or others to grow in the knowledge of Christ, they do not do any work to get into deeper intimacy with the Lord or contribute to the edification of the body.
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REFLECTION
• What have you done to grow and mature as a disciple of Jesus?
Tag Archives: spiritual maturity
MILK VERSUS SOLID FOOD Poem Devotional
January 2________________________________________
For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. – Hebrews 5:13-14(NLT)
MILK VERSUS SOLID FOOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you were babies, you fed on milk alone
You need to take in solid food when you are grown
For someone who lives on milk do not know what’s right
Their minds and hearts are limited to understand life.
Solid food is for those who are mature and have wisdom
If you feed on it, you will grow and enjoy freedom
Those who live on milk don’t know what’s wrong or right
They are unstable and cannot be victorious in life.
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My only child was overweight at a month old. The doctor prescribed I give him solid food to wean him off too much breast milk and not gain more weight. He grew up quick and a very gifted and mature boy. He was a choir member at age 18 months was a violin child prodigy at age 7. Did the solid food have something to do with maturity? Maybe so.
The bible tells us that we can’t live on milk alone meaning we can’t just get second hand information about God’s word. We are encouraged to feed on the solid food which is in depth study of Scriptures.
PRAYER
Lord, help me hunger for you deeply.
REFLECTION
Do you consider yourself still an infant Christian or a mature one?
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For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com
THE SECRET OF GROWTH Poem Devotional
October 16 The Power of God’s Word
Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. –Colossians 1:10 (NLT)
THE SECRET OF GROWTH
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you live a life of honesty and purity?
Do you seek God’s word and never compromise integrity?
Are your actions and choices geared on following Christ?
Are you producing good fruits and staying in the light?
The way you live will gauge how you will grow
You won’t reap a good harvest if you don’t sow
As you seek and follow God, you will reap his promises
You will get better and grow without making compromises.
When you put up a small business, there are many factors to consider so that you will be successful. One of the secrets of a profitable industry is integrity. When the business is anchored on it, success isn’t far. Perseverance and hard work are also crucial in making your business grow.
A Christian’ secret to growth is based on living a life of honor and purity. If you live your life to please the Lord and faithfully seek him and follow him, you will harvest every kind of good fruit and mature as a believer of God.
PRAYER
Lord, grant me a hunger for you always.
REFLECTION
Why is it necessary to live a life for Christ?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s Poem Devotionals, or go to www.ilmaarts.com or to receive emails of the poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com