Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Morning by Morning, June 20 - "We Must Grow Up"

 Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today.  ... "We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:14-16).

"No longer children ... we must grow up." Give me grace to grow up, Lord. From every place where I've been stuck in the development of my mind and will and emotions, help me grow up. From every place where I allow myself to be tossed to and fro by the winds of doctrine or the will of others trying to impose their will or their sense of truth or their plans for my life on me, help me grow up. From every place where my selfishness and my self-centeredness and my self-righteousness wants to rear its ugly head in pride rather than humility or insisting on my way rather than fully surrendering to Your way, help me grow up. From every place where I'm tempted to compromise with Your truth out of some sense of false compassion or settle for something far less than Your very best out of complacency, laziness, lukewarm-ness, sloth, or self-pity, help me grow up. 

There's not spiritual gift of spiritual maturity; it must be developed and deepened on the daily journey of faith. There' not anointing or impartation of spiritual maturity; it must grow from seed to harvest, through every season along the way -- both the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult. But it does come to those who seek it, to those who seek You, to those who embrace the call and command of Your Word that "we must grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). 

The Apostle Paul expressed his spiritual journey like this:  "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became and adult, I put an end to childish ways" (1 Corinthians 13:11). He did that by growing in love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). He did that by embracing and "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). And he grew in love and truth because he grew in grace -- the power of Your grace alone that can grow us up into all You've created us to be in You -- by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8). 

Lord, help me "grow in grace" so I can grow in truth and love (2 Peter 3:18). I want to grow "to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" through every opportunity You set before me on my journey of faith through this world. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


I pray you keep growing in grace, growing up into Christ, more like Jesus each day, into the spiritual maturity of the child of God and disciple of Christ you were created to be, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend! 

 


Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
  
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257

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