You probably realize that God wants all of His children to become spiritually mature. But just how exactly does that come about? Is it automatic? And if not, then what role do believers play in the process?
Obviously, obeying the Lord is a huge part of spiritual maturity. Jesus told His disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). The more we mature in our walk with Christ, the more we obey Him.
As an example of how disobedience prevents Christians from developing spiritual maturity, the Apostle Paul addressed those in Corinth who were “infants in Christ” as a result of their “jealousy and quarreling” (1 Cor. 3:1,3).
But what gives us the strength and motivation to obey the Lord and do God’s will? Well first of all, we need to know that our sins are forgiven through faith in Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. If we are not firmly rooted in the Gospel, it is impossible to develop spiritual maturity.
Compare spiritual growth to a tripod. All three legs of the tripod are essential to becoming spiritually mature.
The first leg involves reading your Bible every day. Like manna which the Israelites ate daily for 40 years in the wilderness, God’s Word feeds the souls of believers as we feast upon Scripture every day of our spiritual journey on Earth. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Believers who go all day without reading their Bible feebly hobble around without one of the legs. Just think how ineffective a tripod becomes in that situation, and how weakened we become in our life of discipleship. As soon as we get back to reading the Bible daily, the missing leg is restored.
And the more you read your Bible, the hungrier your soul becomes for the Word of God. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3).
Healthy babies crave milk, and healthy Christians hunger for God’s Word. Jeremiah wrote, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16).
The second leg of the tripod is prayer. Whenever a Christian goes all day without spending significant time in prayer, the second leg is suddenly missing. Spiritually mature believers pray all the time.
Paul exhorted believers: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). And Jesus encouraged persistent prayer when He said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
Do you read your Bible and pray every day? Both legs of the tripod are necessary in order to walk in wisdom and become spiritually mature. If either one of them is missing for even a day, your soul will experience less spiritual power and far fewer holy desires.
The third leg of the tripod is the only one that stays in place for a week. This leg represents weekly worship with your church family. Scripture instructs God’s people: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
When a believer skips congregational worship, the reverberations last all week long. There is less power for prayer, less hunger for God’s Word, less protection against anxiety, and less spiritual enthusiasm. This weakened and vulnerable condition is the result of making other things a priority rather than gathering with God’s people for the teaching of the Word, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper and prayer. (see Acts 2:42)
You may wonder, “But what if I miss church due to illness, or because of my work or travel schedule?” Even in those instances you will notice a definite decline in spiritual power, but not nearly as much as if you simply choose to skip church. When the third leg is down for a week, the impact is real and the ripples spread wide.
If you have been living under the false impression that church attendance is about getting a check in the box, think again. It has nothing to do with checking boxes, and everything to do with honoring the Lord, encouraging others in your church family, and being renewed in your faith by the Holy Spirit.
Daily Bible reading and persistent prayer are essential to maintaining spiritual health and growth. And weekly worship with your church family is a critical component of discipleship. So, are you standing strong on all three legs?
Obeying the Lord increases your motivation to engage in these three holy habits. At the same time, these godly practices increase the power you receive to follow Christ and do God’s will. In other words, holy habits become addictive in the Christian life.
If you are born again through faith in the Messiah, then set up your spiritual tripod today. That is, if your heart longs to become a spiritually mature follower of Christ.
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
