Becoming mature

1 Corinthians 3:1-8 

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants, and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

In this week's scripture I can hear Paul say to the church today (should he have had the chance) - you are as childish as the Corinthians were - if not worse - because Paul's criteria here for childish behaviour are 'are there envy, strife and divisions amongst you?'  We sadly will have to admit that 2000 years after Paul wrote this to the Corinthians, we have not grown into any more maturity.  

Point to ponder:  Let us remind ourselves this week that we are a body, that some of us plant, some water, but ultimately none of that would be of any use if God did not give the increase.  In verse 8 Paul equates those who plant and those who water, stating that they are one - in other words, of equal value, importance or actually of equal non-importance.  Let us give God the glory for the fruit of the increase rather than trying to be more important than another while we are supposed to be one body!

Let us ask God to increase our spiritual maturity so that we can receive solid food and not just survive on spiritual milk all the time.  

One People  - Philippa Hannah