God wants to bring us all to a place of
spiritual maturity; which involves our thoughts, emotions, actions, intentions,
and all other aspects of our lives. This spiritual maturity is based
entirely in our relationship with God, for when we spend time with God, He shapes
us to think, look, and feel as He Himself does. A spiritually mature person
will have ever increasing good character traits (2 Peter 1:5-9).
Perspective on self, God, and life, is in continual change. A
spiritual mature person has positioned themselves in a place for God, the
sculptor, to mold them as He pleases (Romans 9:20-21). In other words, a
spiritually mature person has become vulnerable before others as well as with the
Lord; being honest about insecurity, sin struggles, weaknesses as well as
strengths, joys, and dreams. This vulnerability only comes with faith in
Jesus; faith that He has forgiven and established them, that He has reconciled
them to the Father. It is no longer up to them to sort out their own
spirituality, but to be with God and allow Him to work salvation in and through
them (Philippians 2:13). Faith allows one to no longer try and establish themselves in the Lord by performance and/or self-righteousness. The belief
that justification, redemption, and even sanctification is a
free gift from God takes away the mentality of striving and
comparison that comes from the World. These people are completely
comfortable with admitting insecurities and personal
lack; because their confidence is not in themselves but in the Lord
(Philippians 3:3). It is clear, that spiritually mature people are very
comfortable in their own skin and free to enjoy life in all its goodness.
This freedom also allows them to look beyond themselves to encourage,
uplift, teach, and care for those around the, while at the same time taking
care of themselves. "Do not look out for your own personal
interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 3:4)."
Sadly many Christians under the guise
of spiritual maturity, neglect and even abuse themselves in an attempt to
become a selfless beneficiary. This is not God's desire. God
has placed in each of us needs and desires that are Godly; but if we reject
them or neglect them, we will begin to fulfill those needs in an unhealthy way.
For instance, for a long time I rejected the idea that I needed other
people; I was steadfast in my pursuit of becoming completely independently
dependent on God. I didn't think I needed any encouragement, counsel,
or fellowship, and so I prevented myself from ever stepping into full
intimacy with those around me. I still had needs for intimacy with others, but they went
unrecognized and even despised by me. Because I was unable to recognize how
to love myself in the areas that I needed it, I began (subconsciously) to meet
those needs in unhealthy ways. However, once I recognized that I
needed encouragement, and people to walk with me and lift me up, I was
able to take care of myself in a healthy way. It was only then that I was
truly freed to begin to think about and care for those around me. That is
why we are instructed to 'love our neighbors as ourselves.'
God is not in the business of toleration but of
transformation. Unfortunately, many people use Christianity as
a way to justify, tolerate, and ignore problems, insecurities, and struggles.
These individuals and groups appear to be vulnerable, weak,
and even humble; but this body is a pitiful representation of the mighty army
that God intends to raise up. These people are like those in 2 Peter.
Peter , after writing on the characteristics of a spiritually mature person
writes, "For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted,
having forgotten his purification from his former sins (2 Peter 1:9)."
These groups, who lack mature characteristics, tend to grovel in self-pity, mediocrity, and self-abasement;
talking much more about their inadequacy than God's adequacy. This is
the epitome of false humility and runs to different degrees in different
bodies. This false-humility is actually pride in disguise; people seem
open, but little to no change and/or empowerment ever occurs.
True humility is far different; it is faith in
God's ability and God's plan in every situation. When circumstances are viewed from God's perspective, all things are possible.
Humility comes from
the Latin root humus, which means grounding. In other words, humility is
not thinking poorly about yourself, it is acknowledging where you
come from! Humility is accepting the identity God has given you in your
re-birth and letting go of the identity that was formed by sin when you were
separated from God. False humility has perverted the church and causes us
to misrepresent where we come from. This false humility, rather
than glorifying God, actually debases Him. Feeling bad about ourselves
after we have been saved is an abomination to God that blasphemies the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus died to allow us to be with, from, and
of God; by which have been given freedom, authority, and purpose in His
kingdom. This was done so that we could leave behind the old self and put
on the new. False humility is unbelief in what Jesus accomplished on the
cross, and our pride prevents us from being transformed.
Unfortunately unbelief feels a lot like humility, while true faith
and humility can look like pride to the insecure.
We see the Apostle Paul boasting in His weakness;
but I am not sure that these weaknesses are always manifesting. He
boasted in them, because he wanted people to know that his success, strength,
confidence, and freedom did not originate with himself, but with God.
"Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults,
with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for
when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10)." He is weak, but he
is actually manifesting strength because of God in Him. "Now
whenever he boasts he boasts in the Lord. (2 Cor. 10:17)." Paul also
exhorted the church in Corinth to remember who they were when they were first called by God. "For
consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things
of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world
to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the
despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the
things that are, so that no many may boast before God." If we stop
reading here, the church is left in a state of helplessness, insecurity, and
weakness, but that was never God's intent. He goes on to say, "But
by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us
wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption, so that, just as it is written, 'Let Him who boasts, boast in the
Lord (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)." It is most interesting that Paul
calls them to 'remember' where they came from, they probably looked very different than they had in the past, because God's strength and ability was flowing through them, above and beyond their own capability. It wasn't
a proclamation of continual struggle and insecurity, but a revelation
that those had been fulfilled in Christ! Paul wanted to make sure that
they weren't claiming something that didn't belong to them in the
first place.
People looked at the church in Corinth and saw
maturity, passion and purpose. The important factor however, is the
source of this maturity and prosperity. "Not that we are adequate in
ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is
from God (2 Cor. 3:5)." Now, don't get me wrong, God does 'work despite
us', and He promises to bring good out of every situation; but ultimately
He wants to transform our insecurities and weaknesses by giving us
the gift of faith. Faith in Gold's ability, power, and intention,
reshapes the way we view our problems, relationships, and situations. We
start seeing through a different lens; what was impossible before is now
possible, and what was abnormal is normal. God's ability becomes our
ability, His strength our strength, and His stability our stability.
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20)." Alleluia!!
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