I was blessed with the opportunity to spend some time with my daughter and granddaughters the other day.  Avery is 5 and Haley is 3 and they are such a joy to be around.  This week I was really struck by how much they are growing up.  Haley who is the youngest has always been a little bit shy and reserved but lately she is talking more than ever.  She is no longer just echoing the words and phrases of her big sister; now she is telling her own stories and coming up with her own phrases.  She also started learning how to write her name.  She is learning so much.  And that Avery is so smart too. She can do math and she just wrote a letter for me to deliver to her Uncle Eric and Aunt Amanda.  In just a couple of months she will start kindergarten.  And she started swimming underwater all by herself this summer!  I love to see the way the girls are growing and maturing.

As I was thinking about how fast they are growing, I reflected on the fact that growing and maturing is God’s plan for all of His Children.  If you are a Christian you are expected to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  You are expected to mature in your faith.  We should not be surprised when that happens in a Christian’s life, we should be surprised when it doesn’t.  In Hebrews 5:12 the author is writing to some people who were demonstrating a lack of spiritual growth.  He said

Heb 5:12   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.

Now, there is nothing wrong with milk.  There is a reason they say, “It does a body good.”  We expect babies to drink milk and to need a certain diet for a certain period of time.  But we also expect them to grow and we become worried if they don’t grow, mature and reach certain milestones.  That should cause us to pause and reflect.  Are we growing and maturing in our faith?  We expect a baby in the faith to act like a baby, but if you have been a Christian for a while some growth should have occurred.  You should no longer act like a baby or need to be treated like one.  How about you, are you growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ?  I hope so.  If not, ask the Lord to help you in this matter.  I know that He will answer your prayer.  Until next time, stay strong in the faith.