If the truth were to be known, I bet you had your time playing in a mud puddle. If not a mud puddle, then I know you’ve played in the dirt. Or made mud pies and then tried to eat them….Anyone here want to fess up?
For whatever reason, children love to play in the dirt or mud. I’ve watched as kids grab a handful of dirt and sling it up in the air, only to have it come raining down on them. I’ve watched the more artistic ones mold mud into some creative shape. Of course, it's understandable to see small children playing happily in the dirt. That’s what kids do. They play in the dirt or the mud.
But, if you looked outside into your front yard and saw a 35-year old man doing the same thing, what would you think? There he is happily slinging dirt in the air, or patting out a brand new mud pie and trying to eat it. You’d think he’d flipped.
If we drove down the rode in our neighborhood and saw grown men and women splashing delightfully in the muddied ditches, we'd shake our heads in astonishment.
If we happened upon deacons at our churches tossing dirt into the air and laughing happily as it landed upon their heads, we'd be concerned.
If we saw Sabbath school teachers, and pastors, and ushers and any adult from our church out there rolling around and eating "mud pies" we'd have to step in and say, "Something's wrong here—stop acting like children."
You know, that's something that the Apostle Paul addressed when he spoke to the Corinthians adults acting like children. In 1st Corinthians 13, he sums up what he’s been saying, “ When I was a child I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things.
He basically saying, "Something's wrong with your lifestyle here! Stop acting like children. Grow up. Stop getting yourselves dirty. It's time to stop wallowing around in the mud. It's time to stop acting like you did when you were just a babe in Christ.”
Christian, we face the same problem today in many cases. We have Christians who still act like children. They bicker and feud over petty differences. They pass on gossip and talk behind each other's backs. They act rudely and selfishly, filled with bitterness and jealousy. In short, they’re still slinging mud. Stomping puddles. Acting like children.
You know what? There comes a time when adults need to start acting like adults. And there comes a time when Christians ought to act like Christians. We are made in the image of Christ and we bear His Name!
If we have accepted Christ, we have a calling on our lives. We have to come to terms with that. Jesus accepts us just the way we are…but He loves us too much to leave us that way. He wants to grow us and mature us. He wants us to put aside our old life and become just like Jesus.
If you’ve been a Christian for over 5 years and you still have an angry bitter spirit, something is wrong. If you’re still bickering or gossiping, something’s wrong. If you are still acting rudely or selfishly or you are full of jealousy or pride, something is wrong. Paul is in essence telling you to grow up. It’s time to get a life. A new life.
Coming to Jesus is an important step, but it can’t stop there. Letting him work in your life to change you to become just like Jesus is a more important step.
