So far in this series, I have been emphasizing the need for continued learning as part of the overall growth and maturation of the Christian. In the last post, I also emphasized that even the most immature Christian is still in Christ, and thus, is in a state of salvation. Further growth in maturity is not completely necessary (in terms of salvation and being a child of God) but is something that we do see as highly desirable.
Today, though, I want to move into a different arena of learning. I would say that it still involves learning, but it is a different type of learning than that of mere knowledge. This learning is the learning by experience. In some respects, this is seen as the best kind of learning (a direction that I tend to lean in). We humans really do seem to learn best when we try something. As an example, you can read a book about how to ride a bicycle. You can understand the dynamics of it all, the importance of balance, the need for pushing the petals forward, the use of the brakes, and all the other related parts. However, we best learn how to ride a bike by getting up on it and trying it out.
There are challenges with this kind of learning. Perhaps the largest one is that, when we actually try something the first time, we (more often than not) fail at it. We get on the bike, start pushing the petals forward, and since we haven't mastered the balance and the coordination that goes with it, we end up falling over. Hopefully we aren't too injured (body or pride), and we take what we have learned for the next time we get up there on the seat again.
Now, I am going to admit that there are two different ways that this applies to Christian maturation, and it doesn't really fit one very well. This falls in the area of belief. Believing something is not a thing that you can simply practice. I can't practice believing that grass is green, or that the sky is blue. Neither can I practice believing that God cares for me, that Jesus died on the cross for me, and that His sacrifice makes me right with God. In some ways, I either believe that (through the gift of God) or I don't. No amount of practice, or even learning, will further mature me in that.
However, there are ways that I can mature in the practice of my faith by actually practicing the things of the faith. I can practice forgiving another, and then reminding myself often that I should not hold their past action against them when I interact with them. I can practice giving of myself sacrificially for the good of another, and seeing how God works through that to bear fruit. I can practice loving my spouse and placing her needs above my own, and thus, growing in that God-created and God-given relationship. In areas like this, I can practice and (hopefully) see maturation and growth.
It isn't always easy, though. I may not succeed the first time I try something. I may try something that I consider loving toward my spouse, and it just may not resonate with her. I may try to tell another about what I believe about God, and why I believe in what Jesus did for me, and I may come across as a bumbling idiot who can't speak well. However, I learn from such experiences. Failure in this regard is both forgiven by God and is a learning tool for further maturation. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Maturation, though, often comes through practice, and quite often, through failure.
Today, though, I want to move into a different arena of learning. I would say that it still involves learning, but it is a different type of learning than that of mere knowledge. This learning is the learning by experience. In some respects, this is seen as the best kind of learning (a direction that I tend to lean in). We humans really do seem to learn best when we try something. As an example, you can read a book about how to ride a bicycle. You can understand the dynamics of it all, the importance of balance, the need for pushing the petals forward, the use of the brakes, and all the other related parts. However, we best learn how to ride a bike by getting up on it and trying it out.
There are challenges with this kind of learning. Perhaps the largest one is that, when we actually try something the first time, we (more often than not) fail at it. We get on the bike, start pushing the petals forward, and since we haven't mastered the balance and the coordination that goes with it, we end up falling over. Hopefully we aren't too injured (body or pride), and we take what we have learned for the next time we get up there on the seat again.
Now, I am going to admit that there are two different ways that this applies to Christian maturation, and it doesn't really fit one very well. This falls in the area of belief. Believing something is not a thing that you can simply practice. I can't practice believing that grass is green, or that the sky is blue. Neither can I practice believing that God cares for me, that Jesus died on the cross for me, and that His sacrifice makes me right with God. In some ways, I either believe that (through the gift of God) or I don't. No amount of practice, or even learning, will further mature me in that.
However, there are ways that I can mature in the practice of my faith by actually practicing the things of the faith. I can practice forgiving another, and then reminding myself often that I should not hold their past action against them when I interact with them. I can practice giving of myself sacrificially for the good of another, and seeing how God works through that to bear fruit. I can practice loving my spouse and placing her needs above my own, and thus, growing in that God-created and God-given relationship. In areas like this, I can practice and (hopefully) see maturation and growth.
It isn't always easy, though. I may not succeed the first time I try something. I may try something that I consider loving toward my spouse, and it just may not resonate with her. I may try to tell another about what I believe about God, and why I believe in what Jesus did for me, and I may come across as a bumbling idiot who can't speak well. However, I learn from such experiences. Failure in this regard is both forgiven by God and is a learning tool for further maturation. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Maturation, though, often comes through practice, and quite often, through failure.
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