Suppose we were to describe a godly person. What attributes would they express and display?
Maturity! “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I responded like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11 CSB). St. Paul isn’t describing a “man” here, but any Christian, male or female. Are we mature, acting our “stage (level of growth in Christ),” not necessarily our age? But what does that maturity look like?
A mature Christian adores their Lord and Savior. They worship Him daily (Jn. 4:21-24), admit their need for His help and guidance (Prov. 3:5, 6), and look for opportunities to show and share His love for others (Acts 10:30-48).
A mature Christian, male or female, cares for his/her immediate family. Look how St. Paul treated the Philippian jailer, including his whole family (Acts 16:32-34). Also, take note of the instructions St. Paul left for leaders in the church regarding their families (1 Tim. 3:1-7).
A mature believer lives a holy life, one that reflects the authenticity of Christ (Matt. 6:31-34). We can’t live a holy life without God’s grace and mercy (1 Pet. 1:14-23).
A mature follower becomes an overseer. Think about this: a godly husband keeps a watchful eye on the income and support of the family. A godly wife oversees the personal needs of family members and nurtures them in a way the husband cannot. Both are overseers and partner together to provide for and protect the overall family structure. For single followers the same is true. You protect your personal life through work and your overall family structure by partnering with God, until you marry or choose singleness as a lifestyle.
A mature believer seeks to know God’s calling and plan for their life (Joshua 1:8; Ps. 34:1-10; Isa. 1:16-20; Jer. 29:11-15 Meant for Jewish people in exile, and for us who are in Christ).
In closing, Billy Epperhart, author of Money Mastery [Money Mastery Making Sense of Making Money for Making a Difference, Harrison House, Shippenburg, PA, 2015, p. 33] says, “One of the ways we can bring God’s kingdom to earth is by making sure we, as Christians, are active in all areas of our culture.” He goes on to list ‘religion, education, family, government, arts, media, and business.’ He’s implying that Christians should use their gifts, talents, and skills, in one of these particular areas of culture, in order to show the love of Christ! This really helped me because my gifts are in the area of the arts. This gave me clarity for where my influence will be most effective.
Okay. Let’s focus our maturity in that area of influence that will be most effective (James 1:5-8). ! Amen?