Marks of Maturity

Timism of the day: Marks of Maturity

I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Gal. 6:17
•Children, especially very young children, have little to no tolerance for pain or discomfort.
•At the first sign of anything that disrupts their soft, warm, cozy and loving environment they let out a shrieking alarm, a cry for resolution and help. “Somebody fix this! Fast!”
•They have many maneuvers and strategies to address their plight:
•They change their rhythm and tempo of movement
•They adjust their position and relationship to the point or place of pain or discomfort
•They may even adjust their breathing, display tears, but most natural and common is the good ‘ole cry.
•A child without self-discipline, self-control or regard for others will just let it rip. “Whaaaaaah!”
•And this will often continue with louder and longer emphasis till somebody does something to address their pain-point.


•Fast forward twenty five years and the same person, that as a child might have been quick to wail and cry and throw a fit at the onset of the slightest discomfort, will now regularly and happily sign up for a grueling marathon and push their body to extremes of pain and torture.
•They will subject themselves to rigorous training regimens including:
•Restricted diet
•Heavy lifting
•Sweating
•Stretching and outright self-abuse and barbarous pain.
•So what happened? Desire, knowledge and maturity.

•First there must be a desire to have or accomplish something.
•Without desire a person is not motivated to press themselves to any degree.
•A Christian in particular can run a long way on the desire to be seen as spiritual, righteous, better, more holy than others.
•They can go a long way but they will not be able to finish the race on that type of desire alone.
•In the end there must be love fueling that desire.
•And the type of love that will bring you to the finish line is God-love, agape love.
•It is the unconditional love that God loves us with, and can be imparted to us when we abide in Christ.
•It is this type of love that empowers us, in turn, to love Him and others, even our enemies.
•All other loves, and hence all other desires, will fall short because by definition they are conditional.

•Next there is knowledge. In any training where one is called to go beyond the level of comfort, the first question is why, why do I want to do that?
•In physical training there are many benefits that are held out as a carrot that you can reach for and, if successful, obtain.
•There are of course the benefits of:
•Enhanced physical appearance
•Significant increase in abilities of endurance
•Agility, speed and strength to name a few.
•Then there are the corresponding gains in health from the building up of the body’s capacities and tolerances.
•There are sometimes even financial or psychological or emotional rewards.
•For those who excel at their area of training there may be rewards of money, fame, even self-worth and self-esteem.
•Here too, to advance against the typical types of pain and trials that must take place to grow spiritually, knowledge of personal benefit will often drop you short of the finish line.
•Many, even knowing the great reward of facing trials and sufferings to advance in their walk with Christ will simply hold their hands up in surrender.
•Here again only the love that is shed abroad in our hearts, agape love, can bring us to the finish line of race. It’s just too hard to get that carrot.
•Desire that has its roots in the love of God together with knowledge of His will and the rewards of obedience grounded in love for God are true marks of maturity.
•So few sufficiently advance in their process of becoming sons & daughters of God due to their immaturity.
•Specifically their lack of a mature love for God. They have a desire but the desire is often placed in things such as:
•Self achievement
•Self-recognition
•Self-gratification.
•When it does not serve anyone but self, self often will not push to extreme levels of pain. It is Self’s nature to protect and pamper itself.
•Similarly knowledge of the rewards of subjecting one’s self to these types and sources of pain, suffering and loss will not prove sufficient to make the necessary sacrifices to finish this race.
•Satan knows too well what things your heart is set upon and those things that you treasure more than God.
•These he will pit against you till you at last decide that it is not worth it. You may go away dejected and despairing (think rich young ruler) but you will go away nonetheless.

•The only thing that is sufficient to bring you through your life to finish the Christ-life Race is Love from God, returned to God after supernaturally altering your desire and your knowledge to a much higher level of maturity.

•A mature Christian will face many things including, but not limited to:
•Loss of reputation
•Loss of health
•Loss of finances and provision
•Loss of family, friends, popularity, self-esteem, self-love, personal time, personal choices, personal preferences, even his or her own person.
•They will not hold on to one thing at the expense of their relentless desire to pursue and know Christ and the riches of His glory and the fellowship of His sufferings.

•Do you quickly and readily give up of your time and treasure for God? Is spending time with Him the most cherished and sought after part of your day? If not, you have some room for growing up.

•Christians who do not make sacrifices for God readily and regularly are at best immature Christians and may even be deceiving themselves.

•Jesus asked, “How is that you say you love me and do not my commands?” Love for God and Christ makes sacrifices, even endures pain and suffering. These are the stuff from which we make sweet offerings, an aroma pleasing to God.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philip. 3:12-14.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Heb. 12:1-2.

Timothy D. Roberts M.A., BCPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
www.TimothyRobertsTherapy.com – Professional Webpage
Timothy_Roberts_LPC@hotmail.com – Email









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