...Lord, I Need you...

“11 God himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love” Ephesians 4:11-16.

Paul is appealing to us to grow up and mature as Christians. He doesn’t want us to remain as “children” in the Christian life. This matters because without maturity we Christians are very, very vulnerable to all kinds of trickery that may well take us a long way away from where we ought to be.

What Paul wants from all of us can be found in verse 13: that we all “come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” In verse 15 Paul says that Christian maturity means that we must “speak the truth in love…and grow cup in every way…into Christ” verse 15.

Today, then, is a day to examine yourself. Where do you need to grow towards maturity? What gifts has God given you to achieve this level of growth and maturity? What are your major challenges? And what has God given you to make you mature in Christ? These are great questions to ask and answer yourself. Take time and bring this to prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy in me a sinner.

Today’s Prayer

Oh Lord, I need You! I am too long living as a child.

Show me how to mature in Your.

I know my weaknesses. I know my sin.

I also know that with You all things are possible,

and that without You I can do nothing.

Please help me to mature and grow in You, Jesus Christ!

In Your Holy Name, I pray, Amen.

As part of your meditation and prayer today, consider listening to the song,

Lord, I Need You, by Matt Maher. Here are the lyrics.

Lord I come, I confess

Bowing here, I find my rest

Without You, I fall apart

You're the one that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour, I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are, Lord, I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour, I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

So teach my song to rise to You

When temptation comes my way

And when I cannot stand, I'll fall on You

Jesus, You're my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour, I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

You're my one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You