Spiritual Maturity is for Ministry

This is something that we need to be reminded of often.

Spiritual Maturity is for Ministry by Rick Warren

Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life. Matthew 20:28 (LB) We are commanded to serve God. Jesus was very clear: “Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life” (Matthew 20:28 LB). For Christians, service is not something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came “to serve” and “to give”—and those two verbs should define your life on earth, too. Jesus taught that spiritual maturity is never an end in itself. Maturity is for ministry! We grow up in order to give out. It is not enough to keep learning more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation. The last thing many believers need is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. They need to exercise their spiritual muscles by serving others. Serving is the opposite of our natural inclination. Most of the time we’re more interested in “serve us” than service. But, as we mature in Christ, the focus of our lives should increasingly shift to living a life of service. The mature follower of Jesus stops asking, “Who’s going to meet my needs?” and starts asking, “Whose needs can I meet?