Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Never Stop Growing
I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one. (1 John 2:13 NLT)
I like to be around new believers. I like the questions they ask and the statements they make. Best of all, I like their zeal. They’re excited about what Christ has done for them.
New believers are the lifeblood of the church.
Of course, they need older believers to help them get grounded spiritually. But older believers also need new believers to remind them of what really matters in life. Older believers need to maintain their spiritual zeal.
It’s cute for babies to be babies. There is nothing like a newborn, especially your own. And as babies get a little older, it’s fun to watch them do childlike things. But it’s not so adorable anymore when your child is eighteen years old. We cannot remain babyish forever. We have to grow up.
When it comes to spiritual growth, we need to remain childlike with the excitement and thrill of a new Christian. But at the same time, we need to mature and grow in our faith.
The apostle Peter dealt with this truth when he wrote, “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 NLT).
New believers are often emotionally oriented. The Christian life is all new to them, and their emotions go back and forth. That is fine when someone is young in the faith.
But it’s sad when someone who has known the Lord for a period of years is still fickle spiritually. They have no clear viewpoint or direction in life and don’t really know what they believe. That is understandable when you are new in the faith. But it is tragic when you are not.
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