“You’re Spiritually Immature”

Has this ever been said to you? I certainly don’t like to hear it said of my Christian friends, and yet this is Paul’s verdict on the church in Corinth. “My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That’s why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned” (1 Corinthians 3:1). “You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world” (1 Corinthians 3:3).

Paul was an apostle. This means ‘Sent one’. He was sent out and planted several churches, including this one in Corinth he was writing to, so he’s like the head of the organisation – the one they would go to with any queries or concerns, and it’s Paul (not just anyone, but a person they respect) who’s calling them spiritual babies. How do they respond? Do they walk away from the church, never to return again? If you read 2 Corinthians, you’ll discover the reasons for Paul’s first letter. “I also wrote because I wanted to test you and find out if you would follow my instructions” (2 Corinthians 2:9). After receiving it, they confronted the wrong in the church and dealt with it. His letter resulted in their spiritual growth.

So, what will we do if someone calls us spiritually immature? Will we dismiss it, or will we take an honest look at ourselves because they meant it for our good?

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“Never Give Up” Book-Review

If you’re considering this book because you’re looking for motivation to persevere with something, I’m sure it’ll help with that, but it’s really a book on how to navigate the whole of life – short chapters with themes such as perseverance, avoiding procrastination, and building on truth. With a title like “Never Give Up”, you might wonder whether it’ll make you feel condemned over past failures. I don’t think it does. On the contrary, it encourages you to move on from your past in order to embrace your future. I especially liked the chapters where the author gave examples from his own life. He says his style is to write short chunks with humour added in. He does this very well; some of his illustrations made me laugh out-loud.

I was looking forward to this book by John Mason because I reviewed (and enjoyed) his previous one – “Proverbs Prayers”. This is similar, in that it would be beneficial to have in your Kindle library to refer back to. I think my mum would like this book because she loves quotations, and this is packed full of them. A couple of my favourites? “Even a broken clock is right twice a day”, and: “Too much analysis always equals paralysis”.

If you Love the Bible Like Me

I signed up to review “The Most Misused Stories in the Bible” for Bethany House because I love the Bible. I didn’t know what standpoint the author would come from – whether I’d be passionately agreeing or wanting to argue with him. As it turned out, I particularly liked the part at the beginning where he writes that we’re all students of the Bible, and we may want to argue certain of his points. It takes humility to say that.

On the whole, I thought the book was very good. He helps you to think deeply about the stories and what they teach, and there are some great principles on interpreting the Bible in his conclusion. The author says he’s the type of person who likes a debate; well, the chapter I’d want to debate most with him would be chapter 11, but he seems a very genuine man who wouldn’t mind that.

I’d recommend this book if you love the Bible, too. I’d quite like to read another of his, “Love That Rescues”, but sadly it’s not available on Kindle.