A January 24th, 2005, Time Magazine article entitled, “Twixters,” is an investigative analysis of a troubling trend in America. Author Lev Grossman explains that many, aged twenty to twenty-nine, are not kids anymore, but they’re not adults either. By looking at a host of statistics, he concludes that “twixters” just resist responsibility and maturity. They party several nights a week, take five or six years to graduate from college, then often don’t use their degree in the marketplace, they change jobs frequently, are not married, nor do they have children; and they live in a state of perpetual adolescence. Grossman concludes that this lack of maturity is having profound negative sociological and economic implications.
Similarly, Christians today often do not grow up spiritually. Many have matured very little years after trusting in Christ as their Savior. Paul ad- dressed this problem when he urged the believers in the church at Ephesus to cultivate the practice of “…speaking the truth in love, (that you) may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Just as parents yearn for their child to grow into full adulthood, character, and responsibility, our Heavenly Father yearns to have His children mature spiritually. Paul’s testimony in I Corinthians 13:11 was this, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” In order for us to grow up spiritually, we must first make the decision to get rid of worldly philosophies, habits, and practices, and then we must replace them with standards that are consistent with God’s Word. But how can I do this successfully so that I might grow in Christ? It can be summed up by the acronym G-R-O-W. We must Get on our knees in prayer, asking for His enablement; Read God’s Word daily; embrace that Others need our service for Christ; and Work selflessly to further the cause of Christ.2 Each of these will help us to grow up in our Savior.
Let me ask you several important questions. Are you growing spiritually? Do you read your Bible, pray, and work for the cause of Christ more in recent weeks than you did a year or two ago? If not, then ask yourself why not? It is time to “awake out of sleep” and begin to grow into a lifestyle that truly pleases the Lord? Will you make a decision to do so right now?