Back to School

This week is back to school for the Mason kids. At supper time our children were sharing with each other insights and things to make sure that each other were prepared to enter into a new grade this coming school year. Each was saying to their younger sibling that it was going to be challenging. In their own way they were saying that it was going to be a time of stretching and learning and to not approach it haphazardly. It got me thinking about our Christian growth.

Hebrews 5:12 says “THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ . . . You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basics things a beginner must learn about Scripture . . . So let us stop going over the basic of Christianity and become mature in our understanding. (Heb 5:12, 6:1-2 Amp & NTL) WOW!

Spiritual maturity is always dictated by our willingness to sacrifice our own desires for the desires of others for Kingdom of God. So how does that play out in our lives? I believe we find it in three areas of our lives: Talent, Time, and Treasure.

• Let’s look at Talent - Are you leveraging your talents in ways that causes the Kingdom of God to advance? (I Peter 4:10)
• How about Time - Are you giving more time to God’s Work and His purposes than 3 years ago? (Eph 5:15-16; Psalms 39:4-5)
• Treasure - Are you tithing? Or is this something that you are still fighting against? If you are tithing, when are you going to go on to giving offerings as well? (Matthew 6:19-21)

How long have you been a Christ follower? Question: Are you still in elementary school? It is time to move beyond the elementary teaching