"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 the ways of childhood behind me."

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)

Spiritual maturity changes what you value and why. As a child, you valued what seemed important in your limited understanding. You thought success meant having more than others. You believed security came from what you could accumulate. But when you grow up spiritually, you don't abandon work or provision. You transform how you approach them. You see them differently. You use them for something bigger than yourself.

Paul describes the shift from childish to mature thinking. As a child, you talk, think, and reason with incomplete perspective. You value things for how they benefit you. But when you mature, you put those childish ways behind you. You don't quit working or stop planning. You work and plan with different motivation. Spiritual maturity means seeing your career as a platform for serving others, not just advancing yourself. It means using what you earn to demonstrate love like this, not just store up for yourself.

Jesus makes a critical distinction in Matthew 6:19-20. Earthly treasures decay, break down, and get stolen. Heavenly treasures last forever. But He's not saying don't work or save. He's saying don't store up for yourself alone. The spiritually mature person earns, saves, and builds wisely. But they use those resources to store up heavenly treasure through generous love. They work hard to have something to share, not just something to hoard. Love like this is what transforms earning into eternal investment.

Agape love is what makes your earthly work matter eternally. When you use your Christmas bonus to support a struggling family's rent, you're storing up heavenly treasure. When you spend Saturday morning helping a single mom fix her broken fence, you're building what lasts. When you share your marketing expertise with a nonprofit trying to reach more people, you're making eternal deposits. The work itself isn't childish. Working only for yourself is. Mature believers use what they earn to love people well.

How are you using what you've built? Are you earning so you can give generously when God shows you needs? Are you developing skills so you can mentor the intern nobody else has time for? Are you building influence so you can advocate for the overlooked coworker? Or are you accumulating for yourself alone? Spiritual maturity doesn't mean abandoning ambition. It means redirecting ambition toward love.

Godseekers, growing up spiritually transforms your relationship with earthly pursuits. You don't stop working hard or planning wisely. You work harder and plan better because you understand what really matters. You earn to give. You save to share. You succeed to serve. Let love like this mature your perspective on everything you're building. Use your career as a ministry platform. Use your resources as instruments of blessing. That's what spiritual adults do. That's Love's Lasting Worth.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me for thinking like a child about what matters. I've been working and building for myself instead of using what You've given me to love others. I've been storing up for my own security instead of investing in eternal treasure through generosity. Mature my thinking. Help me see my career as a platform for serving people sacrificially. Help me view my income as a tool for meeting real needs. Give me opportunities to use my skills to bless others through love like this. Transform my ambition so it's driven by agape, not selfishness. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Personal Reflection

• Where am I still thinking like a child, working and saving only for myself?
• How can I mature by using my current resources and skills to love people generously?

Step of Faith

Today, I will use something specific I've earned or developed (a skill, money from my last paycheck, professional connections) to serve someone or meet a need in my community.