Marks of Maturity

 

“I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.”

—Proverbs 4:10b

For the Christian, following the pathway of obedience flies in the face of our culture. For one thing, we live in a society of ever-increasing disobedience wrapped in a cloak of mindless conformity.

Our culture also demands instant gratification. Obediently following the leading of the Holy Spirit is more of a triple-marathon than a 50-yard sprint.

One moves quite slowly along the pathway of spiritual maturity. That’s because overcoming bad habits and besetting sins takes quite a significant investment of time and effort.

Then, just as soon as the Christ-one declares victory over a specific sin, the Holy Spirit gently and lovingly reveals another sin with which the believer must deal.

King Solomon tried to lay out this walk toward spiritual adulthood when he wrote these words in Proverbs 4:10-13:

Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.

I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.

When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.

Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.

Here Solomon repeats what he has learned from God. In the literal Hebrew for Proverbs 4:12, God is saying, “Step by step I will open up the way before you.”

So, let’s take heart! In His mercy, grace, and love, God is daily opening up the way in front of each one who follows His Son, the Lord Jesus. And, God is doing this incrementally—that is to say, step by step.

We need to celebrate each victory along the pathway toward holiness. We also need to pray for each other and encourage each other, as we struggle to overcome our besetting sins.

As the Apostle Paul urges us in Galatians 6:2:

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Indeed, as we walk together along the pathway of obedience, your burdens are mine and my burdens are yours. Together, we will joyfully cheer each other onward.

 

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