SUNDAYS WITH JOYCE..."MATURITY"

MATURITY

Be steadfast    1 Peter 5: 10    But the God of all grace, who hast called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered a while, make ye perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Content in all situations    Philippians 4: 12, 13    I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Discipline from God fosters maturity    Hebrews 12: 6-9    For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. if ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chasteneth, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father od spirits, and live?

Grow in faith and love    2 Thessalonians 2, 3    Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.We are bound always to thank God for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

Grow to completion    Philippians 1: 6    be confident of this very thing, that he that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:.

Partaker of deeper truths    Hebrews 5: 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.

Stand firm    Philippians 1: 27, 28    Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; and in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

Stay Calm    2 Timothy 4: 5     But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Think like adults    1 Corinthians 14: 20    Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding, be men.

 

 

Some people believe that you can have some experience in your life and all of a sudden you have arrived, you’re perfect. That is not the way our Christian life is pictured in the Bible. In this passage we have a call to press on. There is a warning that no one has arrived. We never reach a level of moral perfection in this life. That will happen when we are with the Lord in heaven.

It could be summed up by the old Negro Spiritual song. "Please be patient with me. God is not through with me yet." It is a journey. It is a goal. The first goal that we see is that we must press on. Look at verse 12.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

This is the Apostle Paul speaking. He is saying, "I have not yet arrived. I have not yet obtained all these things." So we know that nobody in the Christian life has arrived. Not the Pastor, not the deacon, not Billy Graham. No one has arrived. We are all called in this journey to press on.

Spiritual growth requires an ongoing lifetime commitment. Paul wrote this instruction because there were members of the church at Philippi who thought they had arrived. They thought that everything was where it needed to be in their life and they did not realize they need to continually press on in Christ.

Those are the times we are called to press on. We are to be more like Christ and continue to look ahead to the finish line. Paul wants to make this point so clear. He does this through an illustration. He talks about the imagery of the games. He talks about one who is running a race. The race could only be won when the runner gives the race his full attention.

That is what we find in the story of the tortoise and the hair. Here is one who can run fast, but if distracted they will not win the race. Paul says, Run in such a way that you may win. Press on that you have your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ and the goal of becoming more like him.

 

 

 

When God Came To Him

When God came to him
For the first time,
God saw his heart
Fast asleep.
Therefore, God went back
To His celestial Abode.

When God came to him
For the second time
His mind rejected God.

When God came to him
For the third time
His vital ignored God.

When God came to him
For the fourth time,
His life criticised God.

When God came to him
For the fifth time,
He asked God
Why He continued coming.
He asked God if God was a beggar
Or a robber.

God said to him,
"My child,
I am neither a beggar
Nor a robber.
I just cannot help seeing you,
For you are My Divinity’s
Self-Transcendence-Dream."

 

 

 

If you fear punishment,
Then why don't you love
Enlightenment more?
In enlightenment
Punishment is an undeniable unreality.