Friday, January 22, 2016

True spiritual maturity is….

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:


“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

It’s easy to love God when things are going well.  But how about when things are not going well?

Do we withdraw from God when things don’t go our way or do we choose to love Him anyway as commanded by scripture?

The sign of true spiritual maturity is when we love God even when are lives are turned upside down.

On the flip side, spiritual immaturity is demonstrated when our love for God is dependent upon our circumstances. 

Doesn’t God choose to love us unconditionally, regardless of our many sins and shortcomings?  Doesn’t He continue to love us even when our behavior deserves nothing but His wrath?

While beaten, bruised, and nailed to a cross, Jesus chose to love.  He could have thumbed His nose at God or spewed hatred at those who put Him on the cross, but instead, an incredible declaration of love came from His lips – “Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Hours earlier in the garden of Gethsemane and knowing what lay ahead, Jesus demonstrated love for His Father by saying “not my will, but your will be done,” even though He knew it was His Father who orchestrated the path He was about to walk.

Jesus’ love for His Father and us never waned, even in the midst of incredible pain and suffering.

The best way we can demonstrate our love towards God is to love Him even in the midst of difficult or unwanted circumstances.

Such a reaction blesses the heart of God and reassures us that we are on the path to spiritual maturity.

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