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Tag Archives: Spiritual Maturity

Do We Believe?

03 Wednesday Feb 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Discipline, Faith, Freedom, Growing, Joy, Maturity, Wisdom

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Contentment, Joy, Peace, Spiritual Maturity

I believe that part of the problem of our society today is that we don’t either believe we have to grow up, or we have doubts about the promises in which we have put our trust and faith. Do we believe what we say we do? Or do we spend too much time musing or too much energy fretting on the things we see happening around us here in this world? God is not faltering. He never fails us. Why do we persist in doing things for ourselves because we start to doubt Him? And why do we doubt Him just because things aren’t happening in the time frame or in the way we think they should?

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Rest, be at peace, remain content and joyful . . in spite of the world around you. For IF you believe, why would you be anything but trusting, faithful and peacefully content, resting in Him?! If we say we believe, do we then hold ourselves accountable for actually believing in Him more than the things of this world, ourselves, our own abilities or those of people around us? We either decide to grow up spiritually, letting God be God in our lives totally; or we live a life fraught with unease, worry, doubts and disappointments of our own making because we refuse to do what it takes to grow up spiritually!

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It is not an easy journey, for in growing up spiritually, we will have to let go of things which probably have served us and mean something to us. But the trade-off in our emotional control, as well as our sense of inner peace and joy, is worth all the effort and obedience such a choice requires! Not to mention the great joy we have in our obedient pursuit of growing nearer and falling more in love with the Lord! He’s not asking us to do anything to earn His love; but by our desire to show Him our love, we pursue a life devoted to Him. We can allow many precious days of our lives to be ruined by our own emotional storms, small and great. Do not spend too much time flitting between this world’s travails or in choosing to trust in the Father to take care of you. It is hard to live with one foot here and one foot firmly rooted with faith in Him. Take the leap of faith, fully plant your life totally in His loving care! You will be able to have more days of rest, contentment, peace and joy for the sake of having made that choice today!    Signature02

The Price of Meandering . .

26 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in aging, Choices, Discipline, Growing, Lessons, Maturity, Wisdom

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Purpose, Spiritual Maturity, Timeliness

This journey called life is not meant to be an aimless meander; but rather a purposeful, forward trek for the sake of fulfilling God’s will for us and completing His plans. In it all and through it all, a greater puzzle is being pieced together around us and with us, whether or not we ever know how much of it is finished or what the end result of all of that will be. The ultimate puzzle of this life and this world’s lifetime is being pieced together, regardless our choice to realize our role or its conclusion.

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So better our decision to be active participants in the process, anticipating the puzzle’s completion!  And knowing that is happening, is better than being an unwitting rambler; reacting to things which happen around us and to us, with no consideration of this most precious matter of time lapsing towards some distinct finality. Do we know the number of our days? Do we understand the meaning of those days? Or do we waste so many, not willing to accept their limited number or our role in the puzzle being pieced around us? One day, this will all cease to be. And our eternities will be decided in a moment.  

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For us or with us, that is surely what we know of God’s plans for this world. There is an end coming, for this stage of life for us and for this life as this world knows it. In the Bible, there is a promise of the return of the Lord Jesus, which ties the ribbons of this whole package of creation together in a conclusive manner! So is meandering still meaningful? Or must we decide to finally grow up in Him and with Him as soon as we possibly can? Make time an imperative for the sake of your own soul and spirit! For His sense of time and ours are not equitable. We don’t know God’s plans, but we should know that our life is not a random accident of human conception on some compendium of time. We’re here for a purpose, that being to serve His will for not only us, but for the world as a whole! Value this life and your numbered days for what it means for your eternity;  it is all a constant, purposeful opportunity to learn, grow, change and develop  deeper spiritually into a lasting relationship with the Father!   

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Who Controls the Rain?

07 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Choices, Christianity, Contentment, Faith, God, Maturity, Peace, Wisdom

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Faith, Peace, Rest, Spiritual Maturity

Wouldn’t it be lovely if for every drop of rain that fell, the world around us was cleansed of some of its evil? Maybe that was God’s intent for the rain, not only that it restore, replenish and provide; but that it also cleanse the inner man as well as the outer world! We just cannot say for sure what only He knows! Yet we have been trying consistently to render silent the very Creator of all of us and all of this. We cannot give up on God and push Him any further away and out than we as a society have already, especially when all of Creation is His! Can you stop the rain when you decide it’s enough? Can you start the rain? Can you bring the sun up this morning to warm your sky? To imagine such a thing is in your realm of possibility is truly beyond the scope of sanity.  To believe in some randomness and purposelessness in all of this . . just because the Divinity of it all cannot be verified, tested, controlled or proven to some human’s standard of proof . . is to limit the possibility and value of all creation and life itself! 
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So why then do we dare to even imagine He isn’t the very Maker of all that which stands out so comparatively in testimony to our abject lack and seeming insignificance? His plans, purposes and desires for the world are not ours to understand or to even fathom. We are here solely for His purposes and for His will. God help us for trying to usurp His role, for doubting and testing His sovereignty and His might; forgive us Father for negating Your will by ignoring Your role as the Almighty Creator of the universe! I know I cannot do what He can do, so I have learned to give Him control over my life! I am just a speck of dust in the universe, but I am a beloved child of the Almighty! When it rains like this, day after day . . I don’t doubt Him, or fear that I cannot control it, or imagine some outcome because of it. I trust in my Lord and Savior to be doing what ONLY He is able to do, for His purposes. And so, I have peace in my life. 
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The reason the expression “let go, let God” is so popular, so oft-heard and so prophetic is in its truthfulness, constant and assuring! Only God knows all. Only God can provide. Only He can direct the clouds to bring the rain. Only God. Trust, lean on, rely and depend totally on Him for every aspect of your life through prayer and in rest. Here is Scripture from Matthew 6, which truly directs us in our daily manner of resting, letting go and letting God, verses 25 – 34:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.   
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Today, Give God the Reins . .

12 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Choices, Christianity, Commitment, Discipline, Faith, God, Life, Maturity

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God, Obedience, Spiritual Maturity

Each day, what if I were to desire for my day more of what the Lord wants from me than even what I want for myself? What if I sublimate my own ego so conclusively that I am able to actually strive to please God more than I would even seek my own sources of pleasure? It’s a goal to live in such a disciplined and obedient way; but it is what we are called to do and be as followers! We are to live not self-centered lives, but God-centered lives. Can I do it? Am I so willing to give up and give away my own self-centered ways for the sake of accepting His will, His goals and His purpose for me? Are we that committed to the Lord that our own egos, our own flesh and our own will can take a back seat?  2001

 

That is what He asks of us, not so that we may appreciate how it feels to break apart or to have needs unmet; but rather so that we may live in unity with His perfect plan for our lives! We only see a very small part of the picture through our own lenses, the rest is often not even known. Often what we want and believe we need isn’t good for us or necessary for His plan for us. How do we learn to let go and let God have the reins? We set our hearts and minds on Him, trusting in Him, having faith in Him! We examine the evidence of our own lives as believers and examine the testimonies of those before us as well as those around us now; as well as studying His living, breathing, teaching Word for meaning and instruction as to how we’re to live our lives. We know what we know about God because we have chosen to believe Him and believe in Him! We grow in faith and also in our belief as witnesses!  

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Let us not then hold back on transforming thoroughly our lives through Christ because we want something silly or ultimately meaningless for ourselves today or tomorrow! Let go and give God the reins for everything! If we wake up anew each day and pledge our lives, our behavior, our will and all that we are towards the primary goal of pleasing and serving God, how much better for it will we be? Today’s most important goal as a believer is the same as yesterday’s and tomorrow’s, a relationship with the Father which not only sustains us now; but gives us a future and eternity with Him! He doesn’t need us to do a thing for Him to faithfully love us; but our obedience to Him demonstrates our faithfulness and love for Him!   Signature02

Walking By Faith . .

04 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Choices, Christianity, Faith, God, Life

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Faith, God, Spiritual Maturity

If you want to dismiss all things Biblical as imaginary and implausible, then you have to eradicate the history of a lot of actual people referenced in the Bible and in history books as well. And although you may not have personally seen those people because they existed generations prior to our lifetime now, you cannot just automatically dismiss their reality simply because they were “invisible” to you, by way of time and generations passing! If that were the standard, every person who was deemed a historical figure, but no longer lives now in this time frame, would also be considered imaginary . . . wouldn’t they?   images (3)

Perhaps many of our own distant relatives would fall into that category, as we in the present time just cannot prove by eye-witness testimony that they existed! Oh wait . . we can. We have life, we have generations of people who succeeded by birth from those who are no longer here. And in those generations, we have recorded factual history passed down from others throughout time, referring and citing the presence of those whom we still speak of or read about today. So why are some deemed imaginary now, while others are not?? Why is it so easy to doubt the stories of the Bible, though Christ walked among us, having life and living with people? Why do we doubt the writers of the various books of the Bible, whom over many years chronicled their eye-witnessed testimonies, their personal accounts of interactions with actual living souls and their very own prophetic experiences?? Why is it easy to dismiss a history-filled book and the very Subject which fills its pages? quote-god-ceases-to-be-god-only-for-those-who-can-admit-the-possibility-of-his-non-existence-and-that-giacomo-casanova-33212

Oh the very ease at which some dismiss God’s presence and the manner by which Jesus was not only prophesied for centuries, but came to dwell and to die for all of us. The terminology I hear used most often these days when unbelievers refer to God is “puppet master in the sky”. Is that what someone or some group is teaching them? It is so commonly used as a reference, I wonder if those same people then commonly label others they never knew or witnessed in their lives as imaginary? Because they cannot see God, He is surely imaginary to all of those of us who do! I suppose all the great explorers and historical figures have been demoted to imaginary as well then? We didn’t see them either, did we?! Was there really anyone brave enough to set upon the yet navigated seas to deem the world round not flat? Or was that just imagined? Was there anyone daring enough to build cities in the desert, pyramids of stone deemed impossible by that period of time due to a lack of engineering equipment and tools? Perhaps those are imagined too.  Quotation-Voltaire-existence-god-Meetville-Quotes-71940

So much of what we accept now is truly just as random in its plausibility as is the existence of God, if we use our own eye-witness experience to render it viable or believable! I personally don’t need to have seen everyone I have heard about in this life to believe they exist, so I am able to believe by faith that Someone greater than us all exists as well! But only time will prove that to those resolute in their doubt or denial . . I look at every thing and every being around me and see God’s hand of creation. I’m not sure how I came to be so positive of His existence, much less so sure of things written in the Bible, but I am. And I am just as sure about God in His eternal majesty, as well as Jesus and other Biblical figures in their human states, as I am that various other notable human beings walked this earth at particular times to provide for us in this generation not only life but progress in that life! God’s existence is never something I doubt now as I’ve learned to have a meaningful relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. In that, I have received the Holy Spirit within me and now I am growing spiritually in ways I never imagined! I see many things by faith with eyes blinded to things of this world. And I’m happily and contentedly looking forward to my life to come! I guess when it comes down to it, I don’t mind being God’s beloved child, even if that makes me seem a puppet in another person’s eyes!Signature02

Lighting Up The World . .

15 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Christianity, Faith, God, Maturity

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Christian Belief, Faithfulness, Spiritual Maturity

 

 

 

Think about how much light we each can shine in this world. If it seems somewhat dimmer and less hopeful now than in years past, perhaps we’re just not doing enough personally and collectively to reflect light back into life, onto everything and through us all. Life makes it easier for us to glow with light because of all the brokenness , cracks and flaws we experience and “wear” like badges of honor just by living through hardship, grief, pain and suffering. So if life seems dimmer to us, perhaps we’re not focused on how we might use what we have, what we are, what we’ve endured and what has happened to us for the sake of the making everything around us brighter. As written in Matthew 5: 13 – 16:  13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 767885e385183ae75f391b7b7da0ae8b

We who are Christians are to be reflections of God’s light in this world emulating the example of Jesus Christ during his time here on Earth; His love should be so discernible and obvious through us by the way we live that all might know us by it. But many are hiding their light under their egos, many don’t realize how brightly they can shine in spite of what they’ve endured, and many are fatigued in spirit by the fallen nature of this world. As it says in Hebrews 12,  ” . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross . . ” And as it reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:  4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.   images bold faith

Surely, the challenge of life is to live according to the will and purpose of God; as Christians, to mature in Christ, becoming the embodiment of His human example so that others will want what we have and to be like us! We’re all at different stages of our maturation in that regard. Only by focusing on the goal of spiritual maturity do we become walking, talking, living, breathing, bright lights of Christian examples for the world! We cannot do that being fearful, disempowered, disobedient, defeated, beaten-down or apathetic. We are losing the world while we let our lights grow dim, whether by choice or by circumstance. Now is not the time to let the light fade; it is now the time to live by example a life of bold faith, courage, conviction, obedience, contentment and peace! We are called to be the faithful, we shouldn’t be so faith-less!   Signature02

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