I remember the first time I saw the movie, "Peter
Pan." I was a little girl,
totally
mesmerized by the character of Peter. I wanted to be just like him.
After
the movie was over, I immediately ran into my back yard and jumped out of a
tree – trying to fly! Fortunately, nothing was broken, and I quickly
decided
I could be contented with being like Peter in other ways. I
immediately
vowed never to grow up. I agreed with Peter that the adult world seemed
frightening; it was very large and demanding, completely beyond my control.
The same principle is true when it comes to our spiritual
development and
growth.
If the desire to grow isn't present in our lives, there's something
wrong
with our spiritual health. Healthy Christians grow and mature. It's
natural
for the Christian to grow and mature in Christ. God not only wants us to
grow, He commands us to do so.
The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church at Corinth,
correcting them for their
childish attitudes about the spiritual gifts of tongues, knowledge and Prophecy.
He encouraged them to grow up, to put away these less mature gifts, and to
seek the more mature gifts such as love, faith and hope.
We can
apply this same encouragement to our lives today. It's time for us to become
mature believers by putting away immature attitudes and actions. One of the
most obvious marks of maturity or immaturity is how we use words.
Mature
believers don't speak like children. We never know exactly what a child is
going to say, but we naturally expect childish words to come from children. Paul
is saying that a great measurement of maturity for us as Christians is how
well we use words.
Our
words need to be controlled. In the book of James, we find a sobering challenge.
"We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can
also control themselves in every other way" (James 3:2)
If we can control our tongues, we can control ourselves.
James, a
disciple
of Jesus, compares the tongue to the rudder on a ship, a bit in the
horse's
mouth or a spark that starts a huge fire. The tongue is powerful and difficult
to control. Our words can give or destroy life. Once a word is spoken,
it is eternal.
Our
words need to be encouraging. One of the highest responsibilities in the body
of Christ is to practice encouragement. A word of encouragement may be a life
preserver to someone drowning in a storm of life.
Our
words need to be truthful. Mark Twain said, "A lie can travel half way
around
the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." Lies hold us in
bondage
while truth sets us free.
We need to be extremely careful what we say and how we say it
because the spoken
word is powerful. It can bless or curse, express praise or whisper slander.
It can be a tool of blessing or a weapon of destruction. How we use the
tongue is a dead give-away of our spiritual maturity. If we don't learn to control
our tongue, it will control us.
I
know! Maturity is hard work. It would be a lot easier to remain babies in
Christ,
but in order to live a life of victory and honor God, we need to set
our
minds and hearts on growing up spiritually.
The
words we speak are direct indicators of our maturity level. Ouch! If you are
like me, you really do want to use words as a gift of encouragement, but it is
so easy to speak before we think.
Let's get into God's Word so we will have good things to
speak. Let's
pray diligently so we will be prepared to give a Godly verbal response.
And when we fail, let's confess our frailty,
celebrate God's strength…and
begin
again.
Let's
Pray:
Father,
I confess that I am still childish and lack maturity in many areas of
my
life. I now lay those areas before You, and ask that You take control.
Teach
me Your ways. Lord. Help me control my tongue and speak words that encourage
and build others up. Right now, I give myself anew to You and pray that
in the days to come, I will grow up so that others will see You in my life. In
Jesus' name, Amen.
