Level Up
Ephesians 4:14-15 (MSG ) —
‘No prolonged infancies among us please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for imposters. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love – like Christ in everything.’
I don’t know about you but my favourite childhood game was and will always be Super Mario.Recently I asked someone where I could play this game again (*if you have an answer to that please would you let me know). What I loved more than playing the game, was getting to the next level. I was not content with playing and staying at the same level. I wanted to progress and 'level up.'
Ephesians 4 is a call for us to not remain at the same level within our personal faith: ‘No prolonged infancies please, God wants us to grow up.’ Another Bible version reads: ‘We will no longer be immature like children, tossed and blown about by every teaching’. Our life in Christ is a constantly transforming life and in him we can never be the same. We grow and mature as we follow Christ and become more like him. We progress and 'level up' spiritually.
A key feature of Super Mario, is that, as Mario, you could not remain stagnant. You had to keep moving. Let me encourage you, in this season of Lent, to do one thing - keep moving! Do not remain stagnant.
I know sometimes life can hit us so hard that we feel crippled by depression, fear, insecurities, shame and more but let me encourage you to keep moving. Keep coming to church every Sunday, keep in the community of small groups and friendships, keep praying even when it’s hard and keep reading that Bible.
As Super Mario moved up there were resources for him to collect that strengthened him (the mushroom!) As we move up we have the Holy Spirit who strengthens and guides us. This is our time and season to level up. No prolonged infancies please. There is so much more for us in God.
PRAYER — Father God, thank you that you are God who calls us to growth. Thank you that you empower us by the Holy Spirit.
Help us to not remain stagnant in this season but to continue moving and growing to become more like you.