Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s discuss stunted growth.

Today’s scripture, Hebrews 5:12‭-‬14 (NLT) admonishes…
You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Consider…
Over the last two days we discussed the continuous transformation growth process, and the faith supplemented growth progression. In both posts we looked at how to grow up and becoming more like Christ.

Today we’re changing direction and taking a look at the cause and effect of stunted growth.

Do you know people that never grew up? Decades have passed, and they’re still living in the past? The same childish things they did when you where younger, they still do now?

I don’t live in the state that I grew up in, but I know that when I go home to visit I can find some people in the same places doing the same things they did in my youth.

I am also reminded of the cute curiosity of a baby that simply transitioned into the ugly mischievousness of a child. In the same vane, I recall celebrating the determination, discovery, and independence of a toddler, and criticizing the same behavior exhibited as teen who is stubborn, impetuous, and impertinent. The growth we see and encourage toddlers to do, shifts to the admonition to ‘grow up’ when toddler behavior continues to be exhibited in adults.

In 1 Corinthians 3:1‭-‬3 (NLT), the Apostle Paul criticized immature believers for now growing spiritually. He wrote…
Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

Paul shows us that jealousy and quarreling are evidence of selfish toddler-like behavior. Can’t you just here a toddler saying, MINE!

But Paul isn’t the only Apostle to criticize such infantile behavior, the Apostle James wrote in James 4:1‭-‬4 (NLT)…
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

Oh my, the childness of church business meetings that I witnessed in the past just flashed through my mind. I wonder how many tables Jesus would turn over today, if He dropped in and churches focused more on building businesses rather than believers, or holding meetings rather than ministering.

Self-centered behavior is childish, yet so many seasoned saints continually exhibit it. Curious, I asked our Heavenly Father why do Your children remain so childish in their thinking and behavior? His answer floored me.

First the Holy Spirit sent me to 1 Corinthians 13:11‭-‬12 (ERV), which reveals…
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, and I made plans like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. It is the same with us. Now we see God as if we are looking at a reflection in a mirror. But then, in the future, we will see him right before our eyes. Now I know only a part, but at that time I will know fully, as God has known me.

From this scripture, the Holy Spirit pointed out, we remain childish because we’re looking and following other imperfect children instead of God’s perfect Son. 🤯

Then He ran me over to Hebrews 12:2‭-‬3 (ERV), which exhorts…
We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.

And with that, He summarized the single cause of stunted growth is wrong focus. When we focus on other childish children, we learn and copy their behavior, and we wallow in childishness with them.

Do you remember the game of Simon Says? It is a game that is won by following the leader, when the leader begins the instruction with Simon Says. The challenge is the leader tricks the players by giving instruction without saying Simon Says. That’s what childish leaders do, they give us instructions without saying Jesus says.

But the Holy Spirit transformed my thinking to realize that Simon Says is led by someone other than Simon…🤯. However, Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27 NLT

The Holy Spirit is emphasizing the importance of knowing Jesus’ voice, through scripture, and following Him.

Notice Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. Focusing on anyone other than Jesus will leave saved and stunted, rather sanctified. That’s because the sanctification is done by God, not others. Titus 3:5‭-‬6 (ERV) explains it this way…
He saved us because of his mercy, not because of any good things we did. He saved us through the washing that made us new people. He saved us by making us new through the Holy Spirit. God poured out to us that Holy Spirit fully through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Growth in Jesus, comes through Him and by Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)…
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Others can only tell us what they think the requirements are to be right with God, but only Jesus Christ, with the help from the Holy Spirit, can MAKE us right with Him. (Romans 3:22)

Prayerfully this post has helped you see that the cause of stunted growth is wrong focus. More importantly, I hope it showed you that the solution is a change of focus.

Don’t focus on who you see, but set your eyes on the only One that makes us who God wants us to be.

Today’s Song…
Set My Eyes

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)