¹²In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14 NIV)

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I was blessed last week to see a momma moose with two new calves. The calves pranced and played until they got hungry, at which point they came over to mom, suckled up to her, and helped themselves to some moose milk.  

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And then, an adult moose came up to the same momma, suckled up to her, and helped himself to some moose milk!

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Okay, only the first part is true. The second, not so much. It’s ludicrous to think of an adult moose trying to live on milk. I don’t think that they crave milk, and I know the mothers would not tolerate sharing their milk with an adult animal. One of the many ways to tell an adult animal is whether they are still suckling.

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Even if you could live on milk, you wouldn’t want to. It’s just not a mature way to get fed, to grow, and to find nutrition, or to find taste! If you just drank milk, you’d miss out on steak, fish, vegetables, fruit, peanut M&Ms, ice cream, and more! Adults crave more than milk.

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In I Corinthians 13:11, Paul says, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” So, it is with growth as a Christian. As we grow in Christ, we should hunger for deeper, more fulfilling sustenance. What we eat will indicate whether we are an adult or a child.

So, are you spiritually mature or immature?  

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If you’re reading this, you do more than just go to church to get fed. Are there other ways to measure spiritual maturity?

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Here’s a list of some disciplines that Christians have associated with spiritual maturity. I encourage you to look at this list and do a quick self-evaluation. Consider chewing on one or two areas this week in order to grow your spiritual maturity:

      Reading the Bible – Start small and grow!  

      Studying, meditating on, or discussing the Bible – Transform your mind and actions.

      Praying – Engage in a conversation with God to align your will to His.

      Fasting – Abstain from food to focus on God.

      Memorizing Scripture – Memorize verses to keep them on your mind.

      Being generous – Follow God’s guidance to take care of others.

      Giving – Follow God’s direction to give your first and best (and to tithe).

      Serving others – ACF has numerous serve teams on which to practice service!

      Attend and participate in church – It’s easy to attend, harder to participate.

      Discuss the sermon – How often do you think about the sermon after church?

      Participating in a life group or Bible study – ACF has numerous groups!

      Engage during worship – Express reverence and awe for God’s worth.

      Confess your sins – Acknowledge your sins to God in order to find healing and forgiveness.

      Practice a Sabbath rest – God rested from work after creation and set an example for us.

      Consider the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 – Do you show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

      Lead in church – teach a class, lead a small group, share your experiences.

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There are many more ways to evaluate spiritual maturity, but mature Christians show that they are mature by their actions, not just their age.  

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Dear God, help me to become more spiritually mature, longing for spiritual meat, and reflecting You in all I do, think, and say. Show me areas of my life where I am drifting or acting contrary to Your will. Draw me closer to You, and may I reflect your truth. Amen.