Keeping the Faith; Never losing Hope; Always Loving

For those of you that have children do you remember the filling when they stopped having to take a bottle (or nurse)?  Do remember the relief of not having to buy diapers when they were potty trained?

I do….that was a great day!  I’m looking at my 12yr old now and its amazing how much he is growing and how he is maturing into a young man.  It is a joy to watch him mature.

Can you imagine if our children stayed babies forever?  That would suck!  Seriously, I can’t imagine having to change diapers, feed bottles, clean beds, baby proof house, put in car seats…..and the list goes on.  Sounds like hell….or at best purgatory (for all you catholics out there)!

If you take a second and just think about the misery of our children never maturing and it be a constant caring for “infants” you will get a brief glimpse of what we who claim to be christians are putting God through in our current christian culture in the USA.  Its disgusting that most (I would say 90%) people who claim to be christians in America are nothing but christian infants and God spends most of His time changing our diapers then using us to accmplish His purposes in the world.

To be honest, I don’t know how God does it.  If I was Him I’d just wipe us all out and send us all to hell (where we belong).  I can only change so many diapers and to think that most of us remain infant christians for decedades….that’s a lot of diapers.

The author of Hebrews urges its readers in chapter 5 to grow up.  Hebrews tells its readers that by this time in their walk they should be teaching others instead of needing to be taught.  Hebrews tells us that we should be eating solid food but yet we are still nursing.

Here’s the deal.

IF YOU CLAIM TO BE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS AND YOU DON’T HAVE A CONSISTENT PRACTICE OF PRAYER, STUDY, WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, AND LOVING OTHERS………GROW UP!!!!!!!

YOU ARE HURTING THE KINGDOM OF GOD MORE THEN HELPING.  IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR YOU TO LEAVE THE FAITH THEN TO CONTINUE BEING AN INFANT CHRISTIAN.  YOU’RE INFANCY IS HOLDING UP THE MOVEMENT OF GOD IN THE WORLD.

I believe with all that I am that God is that perfect parent that desires nothing more then to watch His children grow and mature into the people He desires them to be.  When that day comes and I stand before God I pray that He will look at me and see a person that didn’t just recieve the gift of salvation and remain an infant but a person that (because of the gift of salvation) grew into the man He created me to be.  I pray the same for you!

This is my prayer and I invite you to join me in it today!

God, I pray that you would forgive me of my immaturity in the faith.  I’m so sorry that I have taken up valuable time wetting my pants instead of accomplishing your will for my life.  I pray for your forgiveness in my apathy when it comes to my growth in your grace.  I pray that you would help me today to take a step toward you; toward maturing in the faith.  Give me the grace to be a force for you in the world today.  Give me the grace to have the discipline to mature that I might not be a hinderance to your movement in the world today but that I might be an instrument that you use to communicate your love for us through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Peace,

Pastor P

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com