“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, LOVE.” 2 Peter 1:5-7
SPIRITUAL MATURITY – LOVE….A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE BY SOPHIA, AGE 6
I love ice cream and candy! I love to play in the snow and I love to plant flowers. I love spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s house – Grandma makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever! I love to snuggle with my Mom and Dad, too. When I go to church, we talk about God’s love for me and sing this song: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! The bible tells me so.”
FROM THE BIBLE
“Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 19:19
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
1 John 2:15
TABLE TALK WITH THE KIDS
1. Name some things that you love to do. List two things you love about your family.
2. Jesus loves you! How can you show your love for Him?
3. The three bible verses above look at love a little differently. Talk about what each verse means to you.
WHAT ABOUT ME? LET’S DIG IN!
When I began the series based on 2 Peter 1:5-7, I viewed the virtues listed as a chain reaction; a Growth Chart for Spiritual Maturity. The virtues start small – kind of easy to master – and then become increasingly more difficult as the verse builds, requiring us to work harder to achieve success. As we strive to become better Christians, a good first step is just that – start with “goodness” by being well-behaved. Once we make a conscious effort to be good, the ensuing fulfillment motivates us to become a better person. The best way to gain biblical “knowledge” is to read the bible – after all, the bible is really a how-to book for making Godly choices that affect our life and those we love. Here comes our first significant hurdle – the knowledge we find in scripture may not necessarily fall in line with our lifestyle choices. It’s safe to assume we may need to acknowledge some faults and subsequently rely upon “self-control” to change any unbiblical behavior. Piece of cake, right? Not so much! And so begins the process of “perseverance” – understanding up front that living a life according to Godly principles doesn’t happen overnight and may not be easy. We’re going to hit some walls and face tough times that will challenge us physically or emotionally, but it’s in those exact moments God calls us to trust, have faith, and depend on His grace. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)
According to the verse in James, perseverance allows us to “be mature and complete, not lacking anything”. Now we’re getting somewhere! We are becoming more like Christ – we are making “godliness” evident in our lives! As His goodness and godliness fill our heart and mind, we can freely show “mutual affection”, brotherly kindness, to others. It’s no wonder “love” is listed last. Love is the ultimate way to respond to God – and His love for us should be our example of how to love others. “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.” (1 Peter 1:22)
Spiritual maturity is an on-going, lifelong process – and not everyone is where you are spiritually or navigates the path in the same manner. It’s not important how you get there – it’s just that you’re moving in the right direction! It’s imperative you grow your faith, trust God’s plan for your life, and strive to be more Christ-like – the implications are eternal! Once you begin to love according to God’s biblical definition, it becomes more natural to embrace the sequential nature of spiritual maturity. Respond to God’s great love for you – add to your faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. Then hit stop, rewind, and play – and do it all over again!
MEMORY VERSE
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19