1 Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

I would encourage you to read all of 1 Corinthians 2 as words which hint at spiritual maturity. I say hint because no one chapter of the bible can contain all that is spiritual maturity. I single out this one verse with purpose. Demonstration.

Jesus said make disciples. In one sense He is encouraging us to bring the good news to the lost. In the truest sense He is saying, “Show them what it looks like to be my disciple.” You will not find that quote anywhere except perhaps my heart.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Demonstrating your faith, a mature faith, is spiritual maturity.

1 Timothy 1:5 But the goal of our instruction is love [which springs] from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. AMP

The outward observance of the inward condition, demonstrate love.

My next series, yes, sorry, another series, is exercising God’s will.

If I am to be faithful to my calling in Christ, then I must follow where He leads. It is my belief that this adventure in series, one upon the other, is Him leading me.

Have you found your calling in Christ? Are you faithful to at least remember that calling when your execution is not perfect? We will have our human moments. He is perfect, we struggle, but struggling is a good sign that we have not given up hope.

So I hope this series has blessed you and that you may grow closer to Christ as we begin our next sojourn together tomorrow.

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

When do we begin to want to be an adult?

Notice I said want. Being an adult and wanting to be an adult are two very different things. If I were to examine my natural growth and compare it with spiritual growth, then I would say a common point in both would be love.

God made us because He loved us. We hear it in the law, summed up by Jesus so aptly, “Love God, love one another.” Love is a compelling force that seeks to pour itself out upon others. The love chapter of the bible is 1 Corinthians 13. The King James Version uses the word charity to emphasize the outpouring qualities of love. This is how love acts.

As a teen I wanted to love without understanding love. As a born again love once again is a compelling force without understanding love. Not because you cannot love but because it isn’t natural love. It is God’s love, perfect love, Agape love.

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

The distributer of love is the Holy Spirit. In the natural we choose to love those qualities of love which are represented by natural love, eros, philia, ludus, pragma, and philatia. None of those love descriptions are God’s love.

If you knew what each of those types of love were, and most do not, none of them would compare in performance as to how love acts in 1 Corinthians 13. Can I meet those standards of perfection? If I am going to be brutally honest with myself, the answer is no. As much as I would love to love like that, I do not.

The best I can do is in response to God’s call to put away childish things.

God will handle the rest.

Am I alone in this? What do you think?