Maturity Is a Choice, Not a Birthday
Getting older is automatic. Growing up is optional.
We usually assume that just because the calendar pages turn, we’re getting wiser. Reality is a bit more blunt: only intentional faith produces maturity. God’s goal for you isn’t to stay a spiritual infant. He wants you to grow up.
Pastor Tim Brown at Highlands Fellowship recently walked through the Book of James, laying out what real maturity looks like. Since we’re going to be neck-deep in James for the next few months, it’s time to get our heads right.
The Five Marks of a Mature Heart
1. Perspective in the Meat Grinder When life gets sideways, a mature person doesn’t fold. James 1:2-4 tells us to consider trials “pure joy.” That’s not a suggestion to enjoy the pain; it’s the gritty understanding that the fire is what burns off the dross. Perseverance is the goal. If you want to be complete and lacking nothing, you have to stay in the fight.
2. Eyes Off Yourself Maturity notices the person next to you. It’s the “royal law” (James 2:8)—loving your neighbor as yourself. If your faith doesn’t lead you to care about anyone outside your own skin, it hasn’t matured yet.
3. Muzzle the Tongue This one hits close to home. James 3:2 says if you can control your mouth, you can control your whole life. If what’s coming out of your mouth isn’t helpful or building someone up, it belongs in the dirt (Ephesians 4:29). A “religious” person with a loose tongue is just making noise.
4. Making Peace, Not Trouble Fights and quarrels usually start with the selfish desires battling inside of us (James 4:1). Mature people aren’t looking for a scrap. They don’t slander or judge their brothers. There is only one Judge, and it isn’t you.
5. Patience and Prayer Like a farmer waiting on the rain, a mature person knows how to wait on the Lord (James 5:7-9). They don’t grumble. They pray. They confess their sins to each other and they get healed. The prayer of a righteous person isn’t just a nice thought—it’s powerful and effective.
“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity.” — Hebrews 6:1a (NIV)