Daily Devotional For Monday, March 10, 2025
Well your weekend is over and for most of us, we are either back to work or school or both. And with that comes all of us looking to the days ahead – the future. Our future is not just in God’s hands, it is also in ours. We have to choose what kind of future we want with God and through God. Our level of spiritual maturity is first up to us. God will mature us but we first must want to grow and follow God’s plan in the Bible to grow. There are far too many “spiritually anorexic Christians” in the church. They come, but they are not growing. Some of that is their fault and some may be the church they attend.
The Apostle Paul wrote these words in Ephesians 4:11-13:
“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (NASB).
If we all read this the way we are supposed to read it, it is the role of pastors to equip and help mature the saints – that’s you – to do the work of ministry. Pastors are not to do all the ministry, but to equip their church to do it. What does this result in? – maturity and ministry. But in many churches, this is not the case. Those churches see the pastors as “hired hands” that can be hired and fired at will. And this is why today many of these churches are closing their doors for good. They are in direct disobedience to our Lord’s structure for His church.
Notice I said “His church.” No matter what church you attend, it is not your church. Using such pronouns as my, mine, or and yours implies ownership. He didn’t die on a cross to establish the church. Jesus Christ did. We see this in Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:18, “ I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (NASB). Notice Jesus said “My church,” not “your church.”
I believe the future has more to do with the hearts of God’s people than any other factor. Only God can bring us to spiritual maturity. As we commit to seek the Lord and establish Him as our first priority, God will respond. But we must “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1, NIV).
We have entertained too many distractions and walked too closely to the web of sin. Now is the time to turn to the Lord with fasting, repentance, and humility. Now is the time to pray that God’s people will find unity in the redemptive work of Jesus and not be deceived by the spirit of antichrist that is so prevalent. Now is the time to pray that God will awaken His Church.
Let’s agree with Jesus’ petition: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in Me through their message. (21) I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are One—as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me” (John 17:20-21, (NLT).
Questions To Consider
- Do you pray regularly for the Lord to mature you and grow His church? Why or why not? If you do, what specifically do you ask HIm to do?
- What do you need to “throw off” that is holding you back in your maturity with Christ?
- What distracts you the most in maturing in Christ and in your ministry to serve Christ?
Scripture To Meditate On: Hebrews 5:12-14, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. (13) For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. (14) But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, deliver Your people from the curse of confusion and division. We humbly submit to Your authority and Lordship. Teach us to stand together in the truth of Jesus Christ. By Your Spirit, unite us in faith, in purpose, and in love. God, help me and convict me to mature in my relationship and faith with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly