Growing towards spiritual maturity

Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. James 5:20 KJV

What James is calling believers to do is to help the brother or sister in the Lord who wandered away from the truth. The challenge does not stop there for we are called upon to bring the lost sinner to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. This is also what James is inferring to from the text when he said, “that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” Seeking the lost is what the Lord Jesus Christ pictures in Luke 15; the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, all of which has to be found and brought to Christ. Several images were used in the Scripture telling believers that they need to engage in evangelism, that is, sharing the gospel’s message of salvation. Growing believers in the faith realizes that we are “both God’s workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9) working in the mission field. This brings us to the end of our study of James. His emphasis in his epistle has been spiritual maturity. Let us spend time examining ourselves and see how far we have grown in our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here are some ways that will help us see how far we have grown in our walk with Christ. I am becoming more and more patient when I am going through testing in life. I run away from temptation the moment I see its ugly head. I find joy applying biblical principles in my life rather than just reading and studying God’s Word. I am able to control my tongue. I choose to be a peacemaker rather than to be troublemaker. I seek out God’s wisdom than the things of the world. I ask God for His will when I am making plans. I try to be a faithful steward as I use the blessings God entrusts to me. I rely in prayer when I find myself in difficult situations. When a brother or a sister needs help, I find myself reaching out to them. I look for opportunities to share God’s message of salvation. God does not want me to just exist in this world and grow old. He wants me as His child to experience spiritual growth so that one day I can grow up in faith and wisdom “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

Blessings,