Butterflies

One thing I constantly need to overcome is not to push people to mature in their walk with Christ.  I desire to see all people living a victorious life through Christ Jesus, and learning to walk with Him on a daily basis is key.  So, I want to help them do that, but God reminds me that HE…

has a perfect time for us, for all things.

Realizing there are numerous levels of maturity, I have learned not to judge others.  Though I still question why the same people are going around the same tree (a metaphor for dealing with the same problems over and over).

Then I remember a pastor sharing that 82% of the church does not read the Bible for themselves.  If that number of people are relying on a Sunday morning sermon to learn how to live their lives righteously, that may be why they remain on the milk and have not graduated to the meat of the Word.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (Amplified Bible) – Foundations for Living

3 ¹However, brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as to spiritual people, but [only] as to worldly people [dominated by human nature], mere infants [in the new life] in Christ! ² I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Even now you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly [controlled by ordinary impulses, the sinful capacity]. For as long as there is jealousy and strife and discord among you, are you not unspiritual, and are you not walking like ordinary men [unchanged by faith]?

 

Let’s get real, it is challenging enough to live like Jesus by reading His instructions every day, by seeking His face in prayer, and asking for His help to fulfill those instructions.  But if you do not do anything other than attend a church service once a week or listen on livestream, how can you grow?  Livestream is not intended for the able-bodied believers; it is for the shut-ins, those on shift work to watch at a later time, and to attract the attention of the unbeliever.

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GOD MOMENTS

I was encouraged this week to hear, “We must desire God moments.”  This Pastor went on to say, “A fresh touch equals a fresh conviction.”  It was a reminder to me that there is always room to grow.  When the Word of God convicts us, it is God’s loving way to set us on the right path.  He never condemns us; He lovingly guides us in the right direction.

The Word of God will also comfort us and give us peace when we are going through trying times.  And guess what?  Spiritual maturity comes from what we persevere through, so praise God that your trials are not in vain.

Encountering Jesus on an ongoing basis leads to spiritual maturity.  Leaning into Him, loving Him, and allowing His love to pour into us CHANGES US.

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Our granddaughter received a butterfly garden for her birthday one year.  It allowed her to feed the caterpillars daily and watch them form into butterflies, until the day came of the great release when she watched them ascend to the heavens.  She has become so fond of butterflies from this experience.  She had an additional blessing when she visited the Butterfly Encounter in Florida.

 

This natural process of watching the caterpillar metamorphose into the cocoon, then into a butterfly is vindicative of our spiritual progress with God.

It takes time.

The butterfly is a beautiful illustration of the way God sees us.  He provides the Word of God for us to gain our daily nourishment until the day He deems us ready to release us in our ministries and callings.  What a glorious way to see spiritual maturity.

What stage of development do you see yourself in?

 

Joyce Meyer tells a unique story about a man who was watching a butterfly trying to escape the cocoon, and it was having problems doing so. He decides to help the butterfly by tearing open the cocoon, and the butterfly dies. That is how it is with us: When we rush someone to “spiritual maturity,” they could “spiritually die.”

If we promote our belief (or opinion) without God’s leading, we could easily offend someone, causing them to see us as too judgmental and critical.  If God has not prepared their heart to receive the direction or correction, rebellion could rise within them and cause them to turn from God indefinitely.

This goes for sharing the Good News to advocate for salvation, also.  I observed a gentleman, who was part of our mission team, trying to “witness” to a stranger in an airport.  He only aggravated the stranger to the point that the stranger moved to another section.  We could see that this gentleman with us was not using discernment from God; he only wanted to be noticed.

So, it is good to recognize that…

God has a perfect time for everyone, for all things.

Philippians 1:6 – being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

Wake-up Call

Galatians 5:26^AMP – We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another.

This scripture is actually a wake-up call for me because I use these blogs to challenge us to become more Christ-like.  In so doing, I must always keep in mind that this tells us not to challenge others to the point of provoking (infuriating and frustrating) them.  I pray that every reader will always feel the love of God pouring through them as they read each word and not sense condemnation, for it is never the intent of these writings.

This scripture also tells us that we must not become conceited.  We should never be so arrogant as to believe that we know it all and “have arrived”.  This attitude only prompts us to have a judgmental and critical attitude.  May we always have a teachable spirit to learn God’s TRUTH.

This scripture is a great reminder to ALLOW GOD to judge and to teach all people in HIS TIMING.  Not everyone is going to act and speak the way we think they should, not everyone is going to be or do what we expect.  Spiritual maturity is a process, God Himself is in full control of it, and aren’t we thankful for that!

Who are we but His servant, His hands extended?

Isaiah 55:9 – “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

 

          May we humble ourselves under God,

being mindful of all His teachings!

Forgive us for our prideful and judgmental attitudes Father!

May YOUR light shine through us!

 

 

 

Notes:

1. If you are new to this blog, please understand that I have a ministry in discipleship, so I challenge you and encourage you to grow in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. All scripture is taken from NKJV and NLT unless otherwise noted.
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