How do we mature as Christians?
I recently paid off my Sportster, that marks 5 years of riding. 5 years and about 23,000 miles later it is all mine!
It occurred to me that I put all those miles on this bike, yet because of the short (compared to some) number of years I have ridden I consider myself a new rider.
But am I? Is experience on a motorcycle measured in years or miles?
Then I thought about walking with the Lord. We live in a country where people claim that they have been Christians for many years. Some say they got saved as a child. But is maturity measured in years or in miles?
Miles. Time spent on the bike, more miles in the seat, simply means more experience. You cannot be an experienced rider if you simply buy a bike and don't put in the miles. Years are not as relevant, only the miles ridden in those years.
Miles in the sun, miles in the rain, miles in traffic, miles on open country roads. Miles riding alone, miles riding with friends. Times when the bike breaks down, times when it rides as smoothly as it did when it was new. Those miles are experience, those miles are what matters.
Time with the Lord. Time spent seeking him, time in His Word, worshiping Him, talking to Him even when you don't feel He is listening. Times when you experience the amazing joy of His presence, times in the dark nights of the soul when you only have His promises to cling to, and even they seem to apply to everyone but you.
Those hours, that time is what matters.
We measure our maturity as Christians, not in the number of years we have spent knowing we are saved, but in the day to day living, the miles we put in with our God. Today, spend some TIME with the LORD.
