faith needs to grow ... grow up!

i had some thoughts this week about growing up in Christ....Ephesians suggests that we need to no longer remain as children but rather grow up into all things in Him! being followers of Christ requires alot but promises more! Christianity is by definition comprehensive...it envelops all of life. if our faith and understanding do not grow, we will fall into the rut of giving attention to the more appealing parts of the Christian faith and neglect all that is has to offer.
immediate interests can make our Christian walk lopsided...we may fight battles valiantly without learning to rest in Him and thus exhaust ourselves and perhaps become cynical...we may discipline ourselves to maturity but never experience grace and therefore become rigid and self-righteous...we may be healed of our problems but rarely accept the pain and sacrifice of helping others...we may climb the mountains of success (financial, spiritual, relational, etc) yet refuse to descend into the pits of defeat where the majority of people live.
imagine with me that you have just been given a new fully furnished and equipped home...choose your entrance way into the house...did you choose the front door, back door, garage, porch, a window? let's just say that your choice led you directly into the kitchen area and since you were so hungry you stopped and made yourself a giant sandwich and devoured it...then you took a nap just to wake up into to prepare for dinner...you settle into the kitchen and gradually forget about the rest of the house. or you slipped into an entrance that led you directly to the library and you find your favorite book on one of the shelves...you hibernate in the high-backed leather chair, cover up with a blanket and begin to read...soon you are so cozy that you never want to get up. maybe it is the game room or the bedroom or the office...any of the rooms can divert our attention from all that the house has to offer by demanding our concentration to that one interest...
and sadly, I feel like we stay in those rooms and fall into that trap in our following of Christ...we become attracted to one interest or ministry and our following of Him becomes only as big as that interest and our world becomes small...and the abundant life becomes lopsided....
let's grow up together...and experience all that abundant life has to offer!