the sky, upturned chin, shoulders stiffened in utter sophistication. "Well, you surely have dressed the part, but maybe you have a little more to learn before I'll say you're a full fledged grown up," I answered her. "Umph! I am too growed up! Look at me!" she stomped her foot, put her hands on her hips and glared at me. That funny day and dozens of others are flooding my mind as I reflect back through 40 years of life with my only daughter. Yep, she celebrated the big 40 yesterday!!! All growed up: maturity is my goal in life; especially Christian maturity. This is the 4th part of a series: F.I.R.M (flexible, innovative, robust, and mature) to overcome the world's F.U.D. (fear, uncertainty, and doubt).
As a child we huddled around the old black and white TV to watch "To Tell The Truth." The basic
premise was simple: 3 contestants, each of whom claimed to be the same person, were interrogated by a panel of 4 celebrities in an attempt to identify who was the real one and who was bluffing. "Will the real ________ please stand up?" The real person stood up and the other two then revealed who they really were.
premise was simple: 3 contestants, each of whom claimed to be the same person, were interrogated by a panel of 4 celebrities in an attempt to identify who was the real one and who was bluffing. "Will the real ________ please stand up?" The real person stood up and the other two then revealed who they really were. I yearn for a show like this to help me know who the "real" mature saints really are. Church leadership responsibilities have me praying for discernment as I enlist workers in our writing ministries. Recently one person volunteered and I had deja vue of my little girl all dressed up "acting" like a grown up, but lacking any of the substance of maturity. This person's insistence on the greatness they had to offer us was shocking. I thank God for this display of arrogance and pomp. This "in your face" demonstration of immaturity in Christianity has helped me know the marks of maturity we need for work with the ex offenders and inmate newsletter.
One thing I'm learning quickly is that inmates see through "phony" saints in 30 seconds or less. So I am pressed to seek mature men and women to work with me.
If I had a "To Tell The Truth" Christian maturity show how would I discern the real growed up saint?
I wait on your comments. Tomorrow I'll answer with what God is showing me and I'm learning the hard way: trial and error.
How do you discern spiritual maturity in others and yourself?
Here's a clue to help you: "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages of our glorification" (1 Cor. 2:6,7).
