Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. This morning was bright and beautiful before the next storm rolls in…exactly how I want my Heart to be. I have no control over the weather, but I DO have control over the Condition of my Heart, so I entered His Presence…I opened my Instruction Manual…I sat in Silence…I listened for His Voice… and I asked Him to Forgive me of my wrongs. All it ever takes is for us to ask Him to examine our Hearts (along with a sincere desire to please Him), and He will Reveal countless things in the Heart that need to be made Right. Let’s face it, we ALL have a Heart Condition; some are just too prideful to admit it, OR not Humble enough to Repent. These are the ones who are always looking for the flaws in someone else’s life while never seeing the flaws in their own. The worst part is that they aren’t even Mature enough to see it- but then neither did the Pharisees. This morning, it didn’t take long for my Heart to become bright and beautiful, just like the morning from the front porch, because NOW it’s been Cleansed of anything that had the potential to get in the way of my Relationship with Jesus Christ. All it takes is a little Humility mixed with Love, and I find my way to that place where I can be of Good Service to the King of all kings! Isn’t that your Goal in the Journey of Faith, too?

I think it’s interesting how some people react when I talk about Repentance as if they’re shocked that I have anything to repent of at all. Of course, I have things to repent of…AND SO DO YOU! Even the “tiniest” wrong needs to be dealt with before the Throne of a Righteous God because in His eyes there is no such thing as a “big sin/little sin” – He hates anything and everything that separates our hearts from His. That’s where Spiritual Maturity comes in. A Humble heart SEARCHES for things that go against the Nature of God, and a Heart filled with Love for Him will easily Repent because of it. But a Heart that hasn’t Matured yet will overlook (and excuse) all kinds of things that go against God without a care in the world. That kind of Heart justifies behavior, and is no stranger to inflicting pain upon other people without blinking an eye. That kind of Heart feels no compassion for the suffering, as if they’re not suffering themselves because they’re somehow a little more entitled than all the others. That kind of Heart is the source of lots of heartbreak in the Journey of Faith, and that kind of Heart is oblivious to the Nature of the God they claim to Serve. By the way, that’s exactly the kind of Heart our Adversary LOVES to have access to, because when he does, he can create non-stop turmoil in the church, in the marriage, in the family, and everywhere in between. Spiritual Maturity is the ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD and the only Route to being used as a Vessel for Kingdom Work. IT’S TIME TO GROW UP.

It takes Work to reach Spiritual Maturity – the kind of Work most people aren’t willing to do. It takes LOTS of Quality Time in His Presence, but most people NEVER seem to find the time. It takes reaching that place of Humility that refuses to hide from Repentance, but most people are too proud to do that. It takes Compassion, the kind of compassion that is developed ONLY through heartbreak of our own on the Rocky Road to Refinement, but most people never find it. It takes becoming SelfLESS so that the needs of others become far more important than our own, but most people are too focused on themselves to get that part Right. Last, but not least, it takes LOVE…the greatest AND the toughest of all. It’s not possible to Love the way we’re Called to Love with Immature Hearts, and THAT’S why Time in His Presence is the Key to Spiritual Maturity.

The Bible 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”…and so it is throughout the Journey of Faith.

It’s time to grow up.

I love Jesus Christ more than I love life…more than I love anybody or anything IN this life…and because I do, I’m Willing to do anything I need to do to be Spiritually Mature. After all, I’m an “alien in a foreign land” and I’m just passing through. The Time we have here on earth is SO brief that the Bible refers to Life as a “vapor” – here one second and gone the next! I’m on a Temporary Assignment for Jesus Christ, and I don’t have forever to get it Right….and NEITHER DO YOU. My Focus is on the One who died for me and the Home that awaits me when it’s Time for my change of Address. Until then, I press on. The Goal is Humility and Love, and I work hard for both in hopes that He will find me Worthy to do the work of the King of all kings, all the days of my Life.

I grew up.

How about you?