Scripture

Hebrews 5:11-12 (NIV)

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.
12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

Observation

When I think of a teacher I think of someone who has learned so much about something that they can now instruct others in that same thing. However, my perspective on teachers has changed over the years. I used to think that a teacher was someone who had mastered a topic to the point that they could teach it to others, but when I think about those teachers that were “the best” in my life, there’s one thing that stands out to me. They were all teachable themselves. While they wore the mantle of “teacher” they were always willing to set it aside in humility to learn something new. In a sense, I suppose, in being teachable they were still trying to gain a better understanding of the subject that they taught. While their students may have seen them as “masters,” they did not.

As Christians, none of us, no matter our position, is a master of the faith. We all have something to learn and we only stop learning when we stop trying to understand. As we move into Hebrews 6 we can see what the author considers fundamentals of Christianity.

“We shouldn’t need to keep talking about why we ought to turn from deeds that bring death and why we ought to have faith in God. And we shouldn’t need to keep teaching about baptisms or about the laying on of hands or about people being raised from death and the future judgment” (Hebrews 6:1-2 CEV).

When you consider these fundamentals of Christianity, how do you see yourself? I often don’t think of myself as a “mature” Christian, but according to the book of Hebrews, here in chapter 6, I am. That makes me wonder, “Why haven’t I considered myself mature in Christ and who have I been listening to?” I guess that I haven’t considered myself “mature” because of all of the mistakes I make and how often it seems that I need to go to God. Even as I read that sentence I think about how foolish that sentiment is, but, foolish or not, I think it’s true. It seems that I have deemed that behavior “childish,” but isn’t that how God wants us to approach Him?

Jesus tells us, in Matthew, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4 NIV). I think that I’ve mostly thought of this as having the faith of a child. That belief that mommy or daddy would be able to make everything better and they knew everything. We know as adults that our parents, those who raised us, didn’t know everything and had no real power to “make everything better.”

Maturity is a matter of perspective. When we were children, we didn’t see ourselves as being immature. As we grew older, through each stage of life, however, we may have looked back on our lives and thought ourselves immature. When we turned 18, or whatever age we were first considered an adult, we thought of ourselves as “grown-up” only to look back later and realize we weren’t. Perhaps part of being mature means understanding the need for growth in your life and not thinking that you know it all. Being a mature Christian doesn’t mean that you don’t make mistakes or rely upon God any less. I can’t help but think of King David, a man after God’s own heart. I consider him to have been a mature Believer but he still made big mistakes and he repented. I believe it was David’s heart of repentance that contributed to his maturity. After all, only children look to the empty cookie jar and declare, “I didn’t do it!”

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. Nothing is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so that we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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