MARKS OF MATURITY...Part 2

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Continuing from last week...

The third mark of a Christian reaching to attain a mature life is to have a spirit of humility! Humility is a word we don't like in our vocabulary.  A humble person does not think less of themselves, but thinks about themselves less.  The humble heart says God I need you and I need more of you. Humility says I can't do life by myself. Left to my own ideas and desires, I will mess my life up!  I need to know the plans and purposes of God for me! 

We had a saying in our family growing up... "You can tell a Valley, but you can't tell them much." You may chuckle at that, but that is a true word over most of us! None of us like being told what to do, how to act, etc. Accountability is a bad word! Our upbringing says, "have it your way". The job of the Holy Spirit is to keep us accountable to the Father and make us responsible to do the will of God. Only a humble heart can really move us to this place.

Remember that God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future...You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you..." (Ch. 29, vs 11, 13-14) Humility says I trust your plans Lord.  As I seek you, reveal them to me.  May your will be done in my life as it is in Heaven!

The fourth mark of maturity is to establish Core Values in our lives that are our code of conduct! That means that I make my decisions based on the foundational things that I have decided to live by, and not by my current feelings surrounding a situation.  I haven't always lived this way, but in the last several years I have developed a set of values that I absolutely believe and want to live out in my life.

For example, the following are the Core Values I have established in my own belief system.  I will be a carrier of God's presence and practice being in communion with Him throughout my day.  I will practice mercy with others because of the great mercy Father has extended to me. I will not turn back from following Him and being His disciple, as there is no where else to go. I will guard my heart and live my life being unoffended by anyone or anything. I am a daughter of the living God and His blood flows through my veins.  I have authority on earth as I am inheriting the Kingdom of God. I will live in covenant relationship with God and the people He puts in my life. I am an ambassador on this earth and will represent my Father well.  I will be a servant of the living God and walk in humility.

Am I perfect in these all the time? No
But I am striving to allow Holy Spirit to ingrain these values into my life so I don't even have to think about it.  I will be His!

Do you have Core Values that direct your life and decisions?

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