“Men or women who are only marginally interested in maturing as Christians will have a difficult time with adversity. Their tendency will be to blame God and become bitter. Instead of seeing adversity as something God is trying to do for them, they will see it as something He is doing to them. It’s all a matter of priority and perspective.”- Dr. Charles F. Stanley
“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ.”- Ephesians 4:14-15 (NKJV)
In Chapter 14 (“Advancing Through Adversity”) of Can You Still Trust God?, Dr. Charles Stanley underscores that God uses adversity in the lives of His children. Yet, adversity functions as much more than a simple tool. Because it represents God’s most effective tool to help advance our spiritual lives. Above all, the circumstances and events we view as setbacks often launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth.
Furthermore, Dr. Stanley counsels, God desires more for us than living a problem-free life. Because a problem-free life fails to equate with a happy life. Hence, the lasting happiness God wants for His children develops only through the process of spiritual growth and maturity. Consequently, Dr. Stanley exhorts:
‘To remain spiritually immature is to run the risk of eventually abandoning the faith. To adopt a worldview or life philosophy is to embrace a lie. No one has ever been ‘happy’ for long embracing a lie. . . . Continual spiritual growth, then, is the means by which God keeps us in tune with His purposes for our lives. . . . the degree to which we desire to grow spiritually corresponds to our ability to handle adversity successfully.”
Today’s question: What Scriptures help with maturing as Christians? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Some classes more appealing that others”
