The Measure of Spiritual Maturity

I have a challenge for you today. I want you to think about the "best" Christian you know. Ask yourself what it is about this person that allows them to stand-out in your mind. I have a feeling that it has nothing to do with their "gifting" but everything to do with their "abiding."

Spiritual heroes tend to be evaluated not by what they do but by the lifestyle they lead. Unlike the sports figures we looked up to when we were kids, we rarely rate the influential people in our lives by their performance. An honest assessment tells me that it is all about the intimacy they carry with the Lord that causes His fruit to stand our in their lives.

Consider this:
The church is full of highly gifted people. In fact, God has provided the gifts of the Spirit to every believer. All of us have the ability to operate in the 9 Spiritual Gifts that we find in 1 Corinthians. Because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us we have access to all the gifts. However, it doesn't take us long to discover that not all "gifted" people display the fruit of the Spirit the way the could/should.

Kris Vallotton puts it this way: "The gifts of the Spirit do not validate our walk with God. It is the fruit of the Spirit that is developed as a person matures in Christ...These fruits grow in our lives as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and not just through us."

The gifts of the Spirit are available through asking. We are to earnestly desire the gifts that God has made available. The fruit of the Spirit, on the other hand, becomes visible through our intimacy with Christ. As we "walk in the Spirit", we manifest love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Why? When we learn to abide in Christ, then we are able to manifest His nature to the world around us. It's great to operate in gifts, but imagine what happens when your couple the ability of Christ with the nature of Christ. That, my friend, is a life worth pursuing.

It is confusion over these matters that has hurt many churches. How often have we seen pastors and other ministry personnel called based upon their gifting, only to discover that they struggled to walk in intimacy? For many of these people, it's not as much their fault as it is ours. Since we have decided to elevate people based upon ability rather than intimacy, we have created a culture around us that misses God's heartbeat of relationship.

Not only is this true for the people on the platforms, it is also true in our lives. Give me a person who has developed their character and gifting over the course of time, learning to walk in the Spirit, and watch what happens. They will be more fruitful in the long-run and have the ability to stay with you through everything. If all I have is gifting, without the ability to persevere, then all you will see is the "flash in the pan" effect. I may jump out of the gate but it is short lived.

Allow God to work in you. Allow Him to develop your character. You may continue to seek spiritual gifts, and God will give them, but you will be able to incorporate them into a life that has learned how to hear the voice of God, respond in obedience, and reflect the very nature of Christ.

The measure of spiritual maturity isn't how many gifts I can carry at one time. Spiritual maturity is measure by how much fruit I bear as I walk in the Spirit. May God find us ready to be still before Him, obedient to ever prompting of His Spirit, and willing to learn of Him.

Blessings to you all as you learn to live in intimacy.