Growing in Spiritual Maturity

By Charles Stanley

READ | Ephesians 4:11-16

If we think of the Christian life as a journey, we can identify a number of "waypoints"— stages of growth we need to reach en route to spiritual maturity. The first two are salvation and service.

We all begin our journey in the same place—spiritually dead and uninterested in what matters to God (Ephesians 2:1-2). There is only one way to receive spiritual life— through faith in Jesus Christ, who took our place and bore God's judgment for our sins. He died so that we might become spiritually alive. At salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit, who creates in us a desire to know God and His Son Jesus.

As we learn more about our triune God, our faith will deepen and our hearts will swell with thanksgiving. Gratitude will lead us to the next step on our journey—serving Him. We will desire to give something back to God in appreciation for His generosity towards us. Rather than deciding what we want to do, we are to ask the Lord what His plans are and how we can join Him (Ephesians 2:10). As God's children, we are to listen attentively for His call and focus our minds and hearts on obeying. Over time, the Spirit will bring forth "fruit" in us (Galatians 5:22-23) and draw us into unity of service with other believers.

Growth is a key principle in a believer's life—Ephesians 4:15 tells us that "we are to grow up in all aspects into. . . Christ." Spiritual maturity begins with salvation and should be followed by a lifelong commitment to being God's servant. Have you dedicated yourself to serving Him?