I was blessed to visit with some friends this week that I had not seen in a few years. They were members at a church that I used to pastor in south Austin. It was great to catch up on old times. What really amazed me was how much their kids had changed during the last few years. They had grown and changed so much that I hardly recognized them. The growth and the changes were not just physical but each of them had special things going on in their lives. As I talked to each of these young people I learned about their special interests, their talents and the things that God was doing in their lives. It was great to see the growth and maturity that has been and is still taking place in the lives of the children of my friends.

Just as expect to see growth and maturity over the course of time in the lives of our children and those of our friends, our Heavenly Father has the same expectation for His children. These admonitions are found throughout His word. Peter says in 2 Peter 3:18 to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The author of Hebrews tells us in chapter 6:1 that we are to “press on to maturity.” Do you know Christ as your Lord and Savior? Are you growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ? I am not asking if you are perfect, we will all still have some struggles from time to time. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:15-16 that even he still wrestled with doing things he didn’t’ want to do and not doing the things he did want to do. If Paul struggled, we will struggle. But despite our struggles…are we prayerfully pressing on to maturity? That is the Lord’s desire for us. He desires that we grow. He desires that we mature. He desires that we become stronger in our walk. He desires that we walk with a little more grace, a little more wisdom, a little more maturity. If someone saw you who had not seen you in a while would they recognize that you had grown a little? Would they see that the Lord has been working in you and through you? If you don’t think they would, you can call on Him and He will begin to do a work today.